Knights of Soul Society Rewrite
by Illuviar
Summary: An AU story starting from the Shattered shaft "accident". Ichigo is a reincarnation of Revan. As a result he gains different Zanpakuto and powers. Smarter and somewhat darker Ichigo. Icigo/Rukia pairing. This is a rewrite of my first story.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Prologue**

 **Part I: I Dream**

 **Ichigo's Room**

 **Kurosaki Residence**

 **Karakura town**

It was sometime well after midnight, when Ichigo was startled awake by a barely remembered dream.

Again.

Ever since his mother was murdered in front of his eyes, he had experienced those dreams. At first they were long and far between, impressions really instead of anything coherent.

However as time passed, his dreams became more tangible, akin to a half-forgotten memory.

That only made it all weird. Ichigo dreamed of the stars, of strange fascinating worlds, which no human from Earth had ever seen. While slumbering he saw strange people, some humanoid, others so different that his young mind simply lacked the words to correctly describe them.

As he grew up, the dreams slowly changed. Often he found his heart longing for places he had never visited. For people who were nothing more than blurred figments of his imagination, yet he felt he knew, even if Ichigo could never place a name to their faces before the dream slipped from his memory as he awoke in the middle of the night.

Soon after he started high school, there was another change. While he still couldn't clearly remember anything in the morning, the dreams themselves had become even more tangible, more real. They started feeling like a memories, instead of whatever on overly active imagination could came with.

There was another change.

He started dreaming of war.

More often than not, Ichigo would see himself wielding a silver blade made of pure energy while fighting armored foes. Other times he was sparring with robed figures armed just like him, though the color of their weapons differed, being mostly azure or forest green.

He saw himself piloting strange craft, which would have made the best that either the Americans or the JSDF could boast like children's toys.

Ichigo saw steel leviathans dueling in the void between the stars, whole worlds laid to waste.

Yet, once he was properly awaken, all of it persistently slipped through his fingers once he tried to remember.

Every damned time.

Nevertheless, that night was different.

Ichigo dreamed of a raven haired beauty, who made his heart clench into a fist. He couldn't help it as his eyes drank the sight of her slender figure. Gentle wind was ruffing her short cropped hair, while carrying the delightful chimes of her laughter that made him melt inside. She turned around, finally ready to reveal her face, when the dream shattered like a mirror struck by sledgehammer and Ichigo found himself rudely thrown back into his room.

He blinked in confusion as the dream's contents were swept from his conscious mind, letting him with heartache and even more questions.

Then his night got ever stranger as a short girl wearing midnight black kimono simply phased through the window of his room.

For a split second Ichigo stared at the intruder as the last vestiges of his dream were leaving, wondering why this person reminded him of the woman he had just imagined.

Then his mind registered the fact that he had a stranger in his bedroom. One that had a sheathed sword on her waist too.

Ichigo scowled. This had to be one of the strangest burglars ever.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Part 2: Awakening**

 **Urahara's shop training area**

A young teen was on the bottom of a deep, circular hole, his body rocked by convulsions. His pained screams were echoing around the training area in which his ordeal was taking place. It started as a gentle touch by incorporeal being, who existed in a realm beyond the perception of mortal and Shinigami.

" _How curious, that he would end here of all places."_ The intangible, slightly glowing figure of an old black man leaned over the apparently insensate form of one Ichigo Kurosaki.

" _He's not the only one. At least we finally found them. I was starting to lose hope."_ Another ghost spoke. This time it was a regal looking woman, who appeared to be only slightly younger than her bald companion. Her graying, almost silver hair was gently slaying under non-existent wind.

" _Youngsters these days."_ The former Gray Jedi shook his head in amusement.

" _Given our age, you can hardly call me youngster, you ancient scoundrel."_

" _Meh. You were how old when we first met? Eighteen, perhaps twenty at best?"_ The man smirked.

" _You never change, do you?"_

" _I'm too old for that, dear."_

" _Enough. I won't let him down again. I won fail him a second time."_ The woman's teasing tone suddenly changed to one full of steel.

" _Me neither. I simply wonder what the consequences would be."_

" _I trust him. Whatever comes to be from our actions today, I'm sure that he'll be able to deal with it."_

" _Will he? She was the one thing keeping him sane most of the time and she's been gone as long as him."_

" _That's not an issue. I have a feeling that sooner or later they would reunite."_

" _You, the former proper Jedi, turned into a hopeless romantic. Heh. If someone could pull it, it would be the kid. Let's do it."_

An intangible hand brushed the soul chain of one Ichigo Kurosaki. One endless moment, which looked like it was forever frozen between the present and the future. For those who could perceive it, the multiverse stopped to take in a deep breath. Then a tiny segment of it shifted, shattered and was made anew, while the Soul who today called itself Ichigo Kurosaki went through the same process. As if it wasn't enough, a new elements arose within the multiple natures of his being. The balance of that soul was irrevocably shifted as it regained some of a previous incarnation. For the barest instant, Ichigo became a focal point for energies, which no mortal should have survived as multiple universes and dimensions were shifting into new paths. His very soul was torn to shreds and built anew, similar yet different.

" _Well, that was quite bit harder than I thought."_ The bald man chuckled tiredly.

" _It's done. He'll remember. He'll be whole again."_

" _What did you two imbeciles just do?!"_ A new voice sounded over the prone form of Ichigo Kurosaki.

The two ghost whirled around and blanched at the sight of a tiny green figure leaning on a crooked cane. It's long ears flapped in irritation as it glared at them.

" _We kept a promise."_

" _No matter the price?"_ The green man asked in a voice fueled by disapproval.

" _No. It was the right thing to do."_

" _Was it really, I wonder? Matters not. You two, come with me you shall."_

The small being waved his a hand and the trio of Force Ghosts vanished without a trace.

In that same moment, the endless instant passed and time resumed its normal course. Kurosaki's soul chain, which was deteriorating way too fast, faded. Its last link became dust.

The universe changed, though Ichigo did not notice. He was simply relieved. The pain, the agony which should have shattered his conscious mind and paved the way for his transformation into a Hollow was no more and that was all he cared about.

After a brief reprieve of blessed oblivion, Ichigo awoke. Instead being into the accursed hole, he found himself laying on a cold metal floor.

'What's the number of the train that ran me over?' Kurosaki wondered. He stretched slowly and looked around, while still laying on the ground.

The sight left his jaw hanging open. Kurosaki, the substitute soul reaper of Karakura town, was in an empty cavernous room. On his left the expanse was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to judge how big it truly was. To his right however, he saw an awe-inspiring sight. The room on that side ended with enormous window, showing a beautiful blue sphere, sprinkled with green and covered with patches of white clouds.

Ichigo was looking at Earth from orbit. _Just as I've looked at hundreds of worlds._ That thought came unbidden, making him frown.

This was no window he was looking through, merely an atmospheric shield of either a hangar or a cargo bay.

His frown deepened. How did he know this? Besides it was impossible right?

"Took you long enough." A pleasant female voice startled Ichigo, who jumped and turned around, ready for a confrontation. Behind him was a middle-aged woman. She was clad in a familiar looking midnight black armor, though right then and there Ichigo couldn't recall where did he saw such a design. The stranger was almost two meters tall, with shoulder length black hair, which was framing a heart shaped face. Her piercing gray eyes were boring straight at the young Shinigami's soul.

"We finally meet my friend", The tall Amazon smiled.

"Who are you? What is this place?" Ichigo asked once he was over the shock finding himself in this strange place.

"An old and dear friend" Was the only answer she offered. " As to where we are, it should be obvious. We are in your inner domain, your mindscape. I am ! #$% #!$%%..."

Ichigo's frown deepened even further, when he couldn't make any sense from her last words. Here name, his brain simply refused to comprehend it.

"Ahh, never mind. It was expected. We need to have a little chat, young man." The tall woman waved her right hand and they were standing in a balcony over-looking a vast park.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo scowled at the stranger. The woman in black waved him to a nearby comfortably looking armchair which wasn't there only a moment ago. Yet there it was, situated on the other side of a table made of bland metal, with two steaming cups of tea on it.

"Sit and calm down. This conversation is long overdue. You may as well make yourself comfortable."

Ichigo huffed, but sat in the armchair throwing a glare at his host.

"Hmm, some things never change." The woman looked over the trees and inhaled the scent of fresh rain and greenery coming from the park, which was mixing with the gentle aroma of the tea. "Tell me Ichigo, what do you know about the soul cutters which Shinigami use? What are they?"

The young reaper looked a bit confused at the question. The Zanpakuto were tools, right? "Weapons which purify Hollows and can perform Konso in order to send spirits to Soul Society" He answered without thinking.

"Think!" The woman snapped at him, relaying a lot of disappointment at his answer.

So he did as instructed.

For a moment, Ichigo was back on a rain-soaked street, facing a sneering tattooed Shinigami. "You don't even know the name of your Zanpakuto!" Sneered the spiky haired Death God in front of him.

A heartbeat later, he was back sitting in the armchair.

'One of the men who took Rukia had named his Zanpakuto...' Sudden thought struck the substitute Shinigami and comprehension dawned. "You are my Zanpakuto!" Ichigo said in wonder.

"Good! I almost thought that you really have become just a loud violent idiot!" The woman in black remarked.

Ichigo scowled again ready for angry retort, but before he was able to say a word, his Zanpakuto was in front of him and placing a hand on his forehead. "Its time to remember who you are..." She paused as if struggling with his name, "Ichigo." The words were said in a sad tone.

Flashes of light and darkness. Shattered pieces of memories long forgotten. Fragments of personality, shards of a broken man. Who was Ichigo Kurosaki?

A son? A proud brother? A friend... A high school student, a substitute Shinigami…

Protector.

All those things and many more were just facets of his being. In hindsight it was obvious. He is the same man. Always the same at the core. Protector to those precious to him. A monster to those who would harm them.

A knight in shining armor and a villain shrouded by darkness. For him those were the two sides of the same coin. It was a simple explanation, and yet lacking so much context and substance.

He was incomplete, in many ways. There were shards of his very being absent, the lack of one of which eclipsed the rest. A large piece of his heart was simply gone, leaving behind a jagged, bleeding hole. It wasn't a physical wound that caused it or his near transformation into a Hollow. No. It was something else. Someone else. More important than his friends as valued as his little sisters.

Someone who he failed, the same way he failed his mother. His mind ground to a halt at that thought. His mother.

Ichigo grit his teeth.

There always was a part of him that knew that he should have been able to save his mother all those years ago. That even as a little kid, he had the power to protect her. That was the same part of his mind that k _new_ , he had the power to save Rukia. It was where the odd dreams were coming from.

The worst thing was that this feeling wasn't mere dream or delusion. That power has always been part of him, even if until now it had been slumbering just beyond his reach. What mattered was that when he needed it the most, he was unable to use it. Even now, when he was finally face to face with his Zanpakuto, that familiar power was still out of reach taunting him.

It was no mere frustration he felt at that moment. It was maddening, enraging. He should have been able to protect them, both his mother all those years ago and Rukia when those two Shinigami came for her.

Protecting those precious to him, that was his purpose, right? Did he fail!?

Kurosaki's thoughts were interrupted by the now comfortingly familiar voice of the woman.

"Ichigo, I can't bring back all your memories. While I'm a part of you and have seen some of them, they aren't mine to meddle with. Despite that, I might be able to give you a push in the right direction, if you allow me."

"Memories? What are you talking about?" He narrowed his eyes at the spirit.

"What did you think that those dreams were?! Seriously?!" She looked at him in exasperation. "You don't even remember her. Not really. Our heart's desire..." The Zanpakuto trailed off and glared at him in an unsettling way.

"Remember who? The raven haired woman?" He blurred without thinking.

"Yes, her. Who is Rukia to you? A fellow Shinigami? A friend? Or did you actually glimpsed a part who she truly was? What is she to you?" The last sentence was delivered in a different tone. It was quieter, wishful, almost longing.

Ichigo simply stared at his Zanpakuto in confusion. Then a memory of a different life struck.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Flashback**

 **Time: Unknown**

 **Place: Unknown**

He was kneeling on torn, muddy ground. All around him was a field littered with broken bodies and burning vehicles. Acrid black smoke was searing his lungs, causing sporadic coughing fits. High above, twin suns barely broke a low cloud cover, bathing the graveyard of men and machines into hazy twilight.

Countless thousands died for this patch of land. And for what?!

It was a hollow victory at best, one tasting of ash and pain. It was all for nothing. The woman he loved, his reason to fight, was gone.

Dead as the two armies surrounding him.

One moment she was there, proud and magnificent, leading a platoon of troopers in an attack that was turning around this part of the battle. A flash of artillery followed and not even ashes remained, just a patch of scorched and half glassed dirt.

It was unthinkable. There was no warning from the Force. No sense of overt danger besides the enemy soldiers and droids with which they were engaged.

The void where their connection used to be just moments ago was everything he could think about. Their bond was forcefully shattered, the loss driving him into an unmatched fury and deep within the seducing corruption of the Dark Side, which promised an end of the unbearable pain.

Just like that his world crumbled with the death of his beloved life. There were no words to describe his anguish and hear-rendering agony. Only terrible hows of rage.

So he let himself sink deep into the Dark Side. He became a berserker fueled by her corrupting energies and unleashed his wrath upon the enemy, throwing himself at them until there was no one left to fight.

That was hours ago. Now he simply stood there, next to the corpse of the last Imperial soldier on the battlefield. As he knelt there, dying, he was once more Darth Revan, a name which he had shelved more than a decade ago. In a moment of clarity, he found himself thinking about the past. About the Jedi Knight he used to be once upon a time.

He was hailed as a hero then, when he was busy stopping the Mandalorian war machine from conquering the Republic. Soon enough everything changed and he was hailed as one of the greatest traitors in the history of the Jedi Order while he wore the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

It was his wife who found him and saved him from the sweet seduction of the Dark side. A wife who was killed just like that by a stray artillery barrage.

Force Adepts weren't supposed to die like that!

The fury drained from his still form. He could feel it, the cold embrace of death was slowly tightening her grip around him.

It was his end. He was hollow inside and somehow he knew, that he wasn't going to be part of the Force once he passed on. There was something darker awaiting him. He could sense its approach.

Somewhere on the edges of his perception, strange forces were whispering. There were grotesque forms moving just beyond the corner of his eyes.

He was startled by a revelation, whatever those thing were, they were dead to the Force. He could barely make their outlines by the void in the energy field that the Force was. His mind was racing. In his last moments, Revan believed that those things somehow blunted the precognitive abilities granted by the Force, making this tragedy possible. Swaying in delirium he sensed his heart stopping.

He looked at his chest and frowned as he saw a crumbling chain attached over his breastbone. It suddenly faded, ripped a hole where his heart used to be.

Darkness enveloped him and Revan knew no more.

 **Flashback End**

 **=KoSS=**

Ichigo Kurosaki, once upon a time one of the most powerful force users to ever live, looked at his Zanpakuto, his partner with a sour expression.

"What was that?" He asked quietly. That vision jolted his memories all right. He could remember bits and pieces, which really didn't make much of a sense. He could still feel the void where the man from the vision had a bond with his wife.

"All I could show you. The end of the line." The woman spoke softly.

"Who was Revan?"

"Who is Revan?" She asked with a question. "You just need to look into the mirror.

"Those weren't really dreams, were they? My memory gone for a second time..." Ichigo muttered. Where did that thought come from anyway?! "What does this mean anyway?" He wondered aloud. "Who was this woman? Why I feel her loss..." He trailed off, his mind finally connecting the dots.

"You just regained a piece of your past, no mater how painful it was."

"Darth Revan, the Dark Lord of the kriffing Sith." Ichigo muttered.

"That was your title once." His Zanpakuto nodded. A fond smile stretched her full lips.

"I'm not that man!" Ichigo shook his head in denial.

"Perhaps. You used to be him."

"I don't have time for this!" He snapped in frustration. "I still need to grow stronger, so I can save Rukia!"

"I'll help you in that. Gladly. You're strong my Master, stronger than you could imagine. You just need to remember, to reconnect with the source of your power."

"You say it as if it's easy." Ichigo gave her his patented scowl.

"For a violent, often not too bright teenager, that might have been correct. You're so much more, my wielder." The Zanpakuto grinned. "You've done much harder things anyway."

"Revan had done them, not me!"

"Consider it a challenge then. I'm sure you'll do everything in your power to save her and then some."


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 1**

 ** **=KoSS=  
****

 ** **Urahara's shop training grounds****

Urahara Kisuke was nervous. It should have taken three days for the kid's soul chain to deteriorate. Instead, it took a mere ten hours.

In hindsight it was probably a good thing that the kids went for a snack half an hour ago. Tessai was unable to contain the transforming teen and now was exhausted after using most of his Reiatsu in futile attempt to bind Kurosaki's hollowficating form. Now Urahara would have to finish the job. He couldn't let the Hollow which his student prospective turned into to roam free.

Kisuke shuddered at the thought what Issin and Youroichi would do to him when they would inevitably found out about this debacle. Surviving their wrath wasn't likely.

The smoke and dust caused by the failed sealing attempt were clearing enough to show a masked figure in black armored robes, which were decorated with eye-catching flowing red pattern. The mask was made of a dark metal polished almost to the point of shining.

This wasn't a Hollow mask.

Urahara raised an eyebrow at that thought. This was certainly surprising.

The figure removed the mask, revealing the scowling face of Ichigo. Kisuke carefully studied the boy. His face unmarried by even a fragment of the bone like substance which made a Hollow's mask.

Urahara let out a sigh of relief.

"Maa, maa...Ichigo good work! You got your Shinigami powers back I see! Lesson two is now complete!" The "humble shop owner" cheered.

A smile appeared on Ichigo's face. It was anything but cheerful or amused.. Something in his tone made the ex captain's spine shiver in distress.

"Urahara, did it just slip your mind that the Shattered Shaft could have turned me into a kriffing Hollow?" The substitute Shinigami asked, making air quotes while speaking. "Or did you, in your unrivaled wisdom decide that this was a minor detail, not worthy of my attention?"

"Don't be rash Ichigo..." Urahara smiled nervously. There was something different in the kid. Something that was keeping the ex-captain on edge.

"Hat and clogs, I'll kill you!" The disturbing smile never left Ichigo's face as he made the declaration, while pulling an ebony colored katana hilt from his robes. One that lacked a guard for some reason.

Urahara would have shaken his head looking at the "weapon" in the kid's hand. However, there was something in the way Ichigo spoke. That wasn't the boisterous declaration of an un-blooded boy. On the contrary. It was a matter of fact statement, a promise made from an accomplished killer.

Something Ichigo had no business being.

Kisuke was about to retort, before seeking information when a silver energy blade extended from the hilt in Kurosaki's hand. Suddenly a sense of foreboding engulfed the ex commander of the R&D division of Seireitei. At the same time Ichigo's smile became feral.

 **=KoSS=**

Ichigo stared at his blade. Once again holding a lightsaber, it simply felt right. The weapon in his hand was a part of him in more ways than being his Zanpakuto. It was like a piece of him he didn't know was missing coming back together and filling a void he was unaware of.

He absentmindedly flourished the blade and the simple motion felt natural. The lightsaber was an extension of his very soul and he simply knew how to use it.

"Hat and clogs..." I need to cut something. "You would do."

Something in the back of Ichigo's head shifted. He felt a brush of cold wind as it passed through him. It was like floodgates suddenly shattering as untamed power flowed into him.

So this was the Force. It was nothing like Revan's fragmented memories suggested. It was raw, wild and primal. He felt as if swimming amidst the rapids of a huge river, having to fight for control of this power. It wasn't the calm, gentle cares of the Light Side or the wicked seductive temptation of the Dark one. This Force, it was still fresh untouched by sentient mind, but no less dangerous for that. If he lost control, the backslash could hurt him badly.

Despite that, Ichigo simply couldn't force himself to let go. This energy, it was a fundamental part of him. As he let it pass through his very soul, there were pieces clicking in his mind, memories surfacing and reforming.

It was very far from complete, yet he knew how to use the Force at least a little bit. Making it augment his body, well that was a simple mental exercise. The energy field jumped at the prompt, as if eager to be utilized for the first time.

"You promised me a training, Hat and Clogs. It's time to collect."

Urahara frowned. Kisuke's answer came as the hiss of a blade being drawn from his cane. The shop owner charged Kurosaki with surprising speed. Ichigo knew that if it wasn't for the Force and the vestiges of experience that came with Revan's memories, he would have found it very hard if not impossible to follow Urahara's movements, much less react in time.

The reincarnated soul jumped back just in time to avoid a diagonal slash, which would have easily opened his chest. Despite his outwardly nonchalant attitude, Kisuke was obviously taking this seriously.

Good. Neither Ichigo or Revan would have had it any other way.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he concentrated. He would need his other power for this too. As ever, achieving any semblance of control over his Reiatsu was a difficult prospect, though the discipline needed to become a Jedi or successful Sith Lord did help in this regard. Fortunately, that aspect of Revan had come through.

The young Soul Reaper knew that he should be able to enhance himself with Reiatsu just like he was doing with the Force. He danced around another slash by Urahara, while doing his best to to reign in his spiritual power. It took him a moment of supreme concentration, which nearly allowed his supposed teacher to skewer him, but he did it.

It was like breaking thorough a glass ceiling he was unaware existed. He was suddenly aware of a huge pool of Reiatsu that surrounded him, centered on his own body. This was the first time he became consciously aware of the amount of spiritual power he had and the way it was simply leaking around him. What was more important, he could feel it, touch it. Molding it was just a step further.

While this was just the beginning of the way towards fully controlling his Reiatsu, it was something Ichigo could work with. The geyser of spiritual power that was his body stilled, slowed down the amount of energy he was simply releasing in the world around him. He forced his Reiatsu to come closer to his body, molded it around him in a crude humanoid form.

Acting on instinct borne by endless hours in training when he was Revan, Ichigo was able to raise his lightsaber just in time to parry a strike which would have left a deep gash on his shoulder. The attack kicked him out of his trance, but he was still very much aware of his Reiatsu. He could still sense it, feel it within and around himself.

Ichigo plastered a confident smile on his face. It was time to see what he got from being Darth Revan once upon a time.

When Urahara attacked again, Kurosaki met him head on and locked their blades together. With a flick of his wrists he created a slight opening in the older Shinigami's defense. A lighting fast rippose followed, forcing Kisuke to jump back in order to avoid being impaled. While Urahara was away for the moment, Ichigo used the breather to enhance his body with Reiatsu too. It was rather crude and inefficient, but that didn't really matter at the moment. He did have the raw power to spare after all. It wasn't like he knew what else to do with his spiritual energy.

It was time to stop playing around. While he was unaware how to really use Reiatsu, the same couldn't be said for the Force. Thanks to his memories, there were some tricks he could pull off with a relative ease. Ichigo held his saber in one hand and moved his free fingers as if caressing the surface of a river, beckoning and channeling the Force into doing his bidding. His arm shot forward. In the next instant he clenched his fist and pulled back.

Urahara was thrown towards Ichigo who grinned and slashed at the approaching figure.

Despite being caught totally off guard, Kisuke pulled a move out of his ass and suddenly disappeared, leaving only his hat to face the full fury of Kurosaki's attack. Before the two half of the cut hat could start properly falling, Ichigo was already whirling around to face the shop owner, who he was sensing behind his back. Comprehending that he wouldn't be able to turn in time, the Substitute Shinigami released a concentrated telekinetic blast around himself, pushing his opponent out of sword reach.

"Not bad at all!" Kisuke congratulated. "That was a nice trick or two. Care to enlighten me?"

"That's for me to know and you to wonder." Ichigo smirked. "Shall we start the real training old man? I have the feeling that Rukia won't save herself."

"Maa, maa. Youths these days." Urahara chided. "If you insist. Awaken Benihime." His blade transformed into a bit longer black colored sword with silver hilt, which was slightly curved and covered with gentle looking black decorative wrapping. A crimson tassel was dangling from its hilt base.

"Nake, Benihime" Urahara whispered and his words were accompanied by a sword swing, which caused a crescent of crimson energy to charge at Ichigo.

Kurosaki was barely able to brace his saber in two-handed grip in time. It took all his strength to deflect the attack to his left, where it soon impacted the ground. The following explosion nearly threw him off his feet.

"You're finally getting serious." Ichigo muttered. He gathered the force around his left hand and sent a mighty telekinetic blast at his teacher, which caught him off guard and threw him to the ground.

Urahara didn't bother getting up and immediately retaliated with another crimson wave, which would have cut Ichigo horizontally if he hadn't dropped on the floor, while the Force was screaming a warning in his head.

The two combatant picked themselves up and reevaluated themselves. Ichigo could see that Urahara's surprised. He could guess why too. Kurosaki simply knew that he wasn't acting like an untrained teen, who had a bit of experience swinging his sword at Hollows. Besides, he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the other Shinigami was apparently unable to sense his Force attacks. It was even better that the Force actually was able to affect the Soul Reaper.

 **=KoSS=**

Kisuke looked at his young student through narrowed eyes. Ichigo Kurosaki had become an enigma. Attacks which apparently weren't based on Reiatsu so he couldn't sense them. Skill with a blade that the boy shouldn't possess.

What was really interesting was the few times when the kid almost got him. It wasn't because of sheer luck or mistakes that Urahara made. It was all due to a surprising amount of skill and leveraging unexpected advantage. Further, when they crossed blades… Kisuke frowned. What little he felt from Ichigo, it wasn't what he expected from a teenager. The soul the kid's Zanpakuto was a part of, it simply didn't feel young as it should be. Then there was the boy's skill, which could only have come from extensive training and experience. There was no other way for Ichigo to get close to wounding Urahara, not with the speed the Substitute Shinigami was capable of. Somehow the boy had gained years, decades of experience wielding a sword.

Which was impossible. For Kurosaki to match someone like Urahara in blade work alone would have taken, years, decades even. Longer than Ichigo had been alive, much less than the amount of time he had spent as a Shinigami. Even more telling was his showing against Captain Kuchiki and his lieutenant. If Ichigo had have this level of raw strength and skill then, he would have crushed Renji Abarai, because of the limiter the other Shinigami had in the world of the living. Kurosaki might have been able to give the lieutenant a run for his money even if he had been at full power.

That discrepancy was perplexing.

Kisuke looked at the eyes of the teenager across the field and his thoughts came to a screeching halt. Those eyes didn't belong to a young man. They were much older. Further, they were the eyes of a veteran who had seen too many battlefields.

It took one to know one after all.

At least he couldn't sense Hollow energy from the kid, which was good right? Still what the hell was happening?!

"You could tell that something is different. Off. Pretty fast too." Ichigo smirked, making Urahara grip Benihime's hilt harder. "Whatever you did to me in that hole, you fucked up. Royally."

Kisuke had the sinking feeling that Ichigo was right. The question was how much?

"What do you know about reincarnation?"

Oh. Shit. How the hell?! It took Urahara a split second to school his face into a goofy smile, but that was more than enough. Kurosaki obviously saw his momentarily slip.

"I remember pieces of another life. Some skills came through too." Ichigo shrugged. "It makes me think. Question things, that otherwise wouldn't have crossed my mind."

"Who were you?"

"They called me Revan, though I doubt that the name means anything to you."

It didn't. He could tell that Ichigo was telling the truth. Besides, the way he fought, it wasn't anything like Kaien did before he was murdered all those years ago. So much for that hope.

"It doesn't matter now, I guess. It's not me we need to talk about. I can't really believe how naive I was up until now. How blindly trusting."

Oh, boy. While Urahara's smile remained in place it became strained.

"What game are you playing with Rukia mine lives? What was the plan, give me some rudimentary training and just throw me at Soul Society to see what happens? I might have been blinded by the need to save Rukia and repay the debt my family and I owe her… However I know that it won't be as simple as just waltzing in and kicking ass until she's free. Even if I somehow manage to do it, without any plan or detailed information on the opposition, then what? We become refugees for the rest of eternity or something?"

"Good questions." Urahara nodded, leaving his role as a goofy shopkeeper behind. "Very good indeed." Who the hell was this Revan anyway? While remembering that life apparently did wonders for Ichigo's skills with blade and mental faculties, it also made Kisuke's life much more complicated.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not particularly. No."

"This whole mess smells on politics, you know. I gather that Rukia is the sole heir of a noble family. I did pay attention to what she was babbling you know. With her brother, the same bastard who cut me down, being pretty much among their top officers. Yet, according to you, she's to be executed for the crime of giving me her powers, when the alternative was her death." Ichigo shook his head in exasperation. "There are so many things wrong with that picture that I don't know where to begin."

"You don't know much about Seireitei."

"Granted. Something you've had no intention of changing before sending me on my merry way. I can see the truth in your eyes. What's your game, Urahara?"

 **=KoSS=**

Ichigo glared at the older man. What little he could sense through the Force was foreboding. As he currently was, Kurosaki knew that if both of them went all out, he'll be the one to lose. Badly. He had only parts of Revan's skills and fragments of his memories. That's why his control over the Force was lacking, making his one trump card in a potential confrontation less than stellar. Further, the way Kisuke vanished the one time he was truly at Ichigo's mercy was disquieting. Kurosaki suspected that Urahara had used some kind of speed technique, which was much better than he could currently achieve by accessing either the Force or his Reiatsu.

That by itself would give the other man a staggering advantage. Then you had to take into account the obvious skill Kisuke possessed. Revan might have been able to face him in a fair fight and win.

Ichigo wasn't up to par yet. He needed to be better before risking a real fight with Kisuke. That put him in a rather precarious position. The man's intention of sending Ichigo into Soul Society blind was tantamount to a suicide, even if most people there were actually weaker than Urahara.

Kurosaki knew that he needed time. To train, to reconnect properly with the Force, to regain more of Revan's memories, because frankly right now he was out of his depths even if he could make some educated guesses about the mess he had found himself into.

"This is certainly an interesting turn of events, Kurosaki-san. A reincarnation and you remember! Absolutely astonishing!" Urahara gushed, making Ichigo roll his eyes at the antics.

"I have the feeling you won't spill the beans about everything you know on how Rukia's situation came to be?"

"You'll have to beat that knowledge out of me."

"One day I'm going to take you up on that offer."

"I can't wait." Kisuke deadpanned.

"Before I even consider stepping a foot within Soul Society I would need intelligence. Information on their forces, abilities, maps. Overview on the political situation. Possible allies. Safe house locations. Last but not the least, a plan to ensure that Rukia and I won't simply become fugitives once I rescue her. I'll need a good way to either clean up her name or make some kind of deal assuring our safety."

"Demanding young man, aren't you?"

"I'm being quite reasonable and you know it. I wasn't the one planning to send in a barely trained teenager, who had no idea what he was doing."

"I've been exiled for more than a century. My information and contacts were not what they used to be. As you guessed, Rukia sentence is unusual, especially given her station. Unfortunately most people, including her brother won't cross Central 46, or even question openly this decision. Why they signed her dead sentence, I'm unsure. Her captain - Ukitake Jūshirō, I believe will be trying to lessen her sentence or even save her if all else fails. However most if now all of the remaining Shinigami will try to stop you at all costs."

"I'll have to speak with the man. Now that I think about it, I'll need a way to hide Rukia once she's been saved, perhaps even send her back to the world of the living, while the whole mess is cleaned up. Politics, blackmail, whatever works really in order to fix the mess." Ichigo mussed. "Finding whose idea was to get her killed and deal with them. The usual."

"You're asking for a lot."

"It's the bare minimum needed to get the job done." Ichigo shrugged. He needed to know the name of his Zanpakuto. Judging by what Renji and Urahara were able to do by invoking it… That was power he would need in order to survive his self imposed task.

Ichigo cleared his mind, while Kisuke was pondering on his demands and tried to contact his blade.

" _Well, my dear. Care to reintroduce yourself? I hope I'll be able to hear your name now that my head isn't such a mess."_

" _It's still a rather chaotic place, Revan. Besides you still don't accept it, do you? You aren't just Ichigo Kurosaki. Not any more."_

" _Perhaps. I'm not ready to throw my identity on your say so, no mater how nice you might ask."_

" _That's not it and you know it. What are you afraid of?"_

" _Revan fell in the end. I might too and I don't know what horrors I would wrought if it happens."_

" _You'll have to accept yourself for who you're if you want even a chance to unlock my full power. Yet, that's not really necessary for hearing my name."_ There was a gust of wind to the right. Ichigo was able to see the ethereal form of his Zanpakuto spirit for a split second. _"I'm..."_

Kurosaki smiled as her name chimed in his ears. It was fitting. The moment he heard and comprehended it, another piece of the puzzle of who he was simply clicked in place. He felt lighter, more powerful. "Rise Divine Night!" He whispered with reverence.

A pillar of alive, twisting darkness enveloped him, cracking the ground where he stood. When the living shadows dissipated, Ichigo was emanating a dark aura. His robes were much heavier and better armored. The more profound change was a second lighstsaber, held in backhand grip in his left hand. His blades color was now deep black, much darker than the one of his robes. It was as if his sabers were consuming the very light around them, causing their wielder to be obscured by twilight.

"Hat and Clogs, you still owe me a few weeks of training. It's time to collect. Besides, I just might need to kick your ass to make you remember all details about Soul Society." Ichigo spoke quietly. Then he jumped to the offense only to be met halfway by a grinning Kisuke.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Interlud**** ** **e****

 ** **S**** ** **ometime after Ichigo's reincarnation****

 ** **Karakura town****

Keiji Momori wondered which deity he had offended in order to end this way. He was running through the deserted night streets of Karakura, chased by wolf – like monstrosity. Something weird had happened the previous day and he had ended as some kind of spirit with a damned chain in his chest. He couldn't interact with anyone and now this, a damn monster had decided that he'd be a tasty dinner. Keiji sprinted into a side alley, trying to stay ahead from the sound of clawed paws splitting the ground behind him. This maneuver bought him just a few precious seconds before the bulk of the monster was too big to make a sharp turn easily. It was all for naught in the end.

The middle aged man slipped on an empty soda can of all things and ended in a tangled mess on the ground. He knew that it was over – the beast would be over him in moments.

He felt overwhelming fear and anger. It wasn't fair! Keiji, losing himself to unthinking rage, threw a punch at the rushing behemoth. To his surprise, he could feel a wave of energy passing through him. It hit the wolf thing, staggering it. The monster roared and jumped at the stunned man before he could react.

The story of Keiji Momori ended with an agonized scream. The sound of tearing flesh and broken bones filled the alley. The hollow had a great diner indeed. It looked like just another poor soul being devoured by rampaging hollow, just another tragedy among countless others. Looks can be deceiving.

Mister Momori had one thing that made him unique – he was the first force sensitive soul to be consumed by a Hollow. That was no trivial matter. A new breed of terror would soon stalk through the deserts of Hueco Mundo.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 2**

 **=KoSS=**

 **Ichigo's Room**

 **Kurosaki' house**

 **Karakura town**

After two weeks of training and half-hearted briefings from Urahara, it was almost time. The device, which would transport him to Soul Society would be ready for activation sometime after midnight tonight.

Ichigo way laying in his bed, thinking for the changes that had happened to him lately. From his first meeting with Rukia up to yesterday's final training session. Ever since he started regaining bits and pieces of Revan's past. While that gave him a significant advantage, one he wouldn't have had otherwise, Kurosaki felt that it wasn't enough to ensure the success of his mission. Especially now, when he had some idea what he might end up facing.

That was the reason why despite his better judgment, he tried his best to remember Revan, to become more like the man used to be. Because, when all was said and done, baring a miracle Ichigo Kurosaki was unlikely to survive facing even one of the Captains in Seireitei. Each of them had monstrous raw power paired with centuries of training and experience.

After all the wars Revan had fought in, he could have held his own against most of them skill-wise. Ichigo wasn't a carbon copy of that man even if at times it was hard to figure out where one of them ended and the other began. That in itself was rather weird too, because Urahara had let it slip that in a case of reincarnated soul, who somehow actually regained its memories, the two personalities should have merged in a rather short order.

Like it or hate it, Ichigo wasn't at that stage yet. While he was quite apprehensive of what would happen once the process was complete, wondering if he would still be himself, or if the older Revan would simply drown his personality. At the same time, he was actively seeking to regain more of that man's skills and knowledge, things that were likely to be the difference between life and death for Rukia and Ichigo.

Kurosaki sighed and rubbed his forehead. Time was running out. He couldn't question himself any longer. He closed his eyes and concentrated on both the Force and his Reiatsu until he was deep into meditative state.

Ichigo found himself standing on the lush plains of Dantoine before Malak wrecked a significant part of that world in his pursuit of the Jedi.

"You've decided." The melodic voice of his Zanpakuto whispered, carried by light breeze. For some reason the air smelled of salt and ocean even if there weren't any large bodies of water on this part of Dantoine.

Ichigo slowly turned around and looked at the armor clad spirit. "Was there any doubt?" He asked.

"Always. You're unpredictable like that."

"It's not like I have much of a choice if I'm to survive whats to come. I've died enough times already."

"True enough. I'll be peeved out at you if you die on me. Ever."

"Possessive wench."

"Don't you forget it." The Zanpakuto frowned. "I can see in your heart. You've decided, yes. Still, within your heart you haven't accepted Revan for who he is. Until that happens, you won't be able to access my full power and Bankai would be less than a pipe dream."

"It's not like I can simply decree it and it would happen." Ichigo shrugged.

"No. Still, it's a decent first step. I'll be waiting. I hope you'll understand soon… Revan."

He shrugged. Perhaps he would. Besides, hearing her call him by that name… it felt right.

 **=KoSS=**

Less than an hour after his chat with Divine Night, Ichigo was on his way to Urahara's. It was at that time he found out that he had gained one unwelcome quirk of Revan's. The former Sith Lord had always felt nervous before deployment, something only two people knew of.. One was his rather headstrong apprentice Bastia Shan, while the other was hid dearly departed wife… which was a rather thorny issue nowadays.

It was at the end of the first week of training when he started regaining more and more of Revan's memories. Those included the face of the man's wife, which was a stunning revelation that make Ichigo wonder what the hell was really going on. Because he knew that face. It was unmistakeably that of an older Rukia, which should have been simply impossible. Needless to day, that wasn't an issue he raised with Urahara. While he needed the irritating man, Ichigo simply didn't trust him. Kisuke was holding more secrets than a rather paranoid Sith Lord.

Ichigo sighed as he neared his destination. This was perhaps the first time in what felt like eternity, that he would be going on a mission by himself. It was strangely liberating. That in itself was good. He really didn't feel like socializing with anyone right now.

He stopped and looked at the cloudless sky. The stars were shinning like countless sparkling jewels, each one a keeper of its own secrets and endless possibilities. For a moment Ichigo wondered if he would be free to travel the galaxy once again, if it was even possible to practically do so in this dimension. He briefly wondered if the Republic, his home was somewhere out there, before shacking his head and continuing on.

Mussing for what he had lost by ending on a rather primitive world wasn't going to fix anything.

It never crossed the young Shinigami's mind that those were thoughts fitting Revan and not Ichigo Kurosaki.

It took him a few seconds to get his game face on and forge ahead. Ichigo knew that his incursion into Soul Society was going to be a perilous and rather bloody affair, even if everything somehow went according to his half backed plans. The few times he had went on important mission with such a spotty information, they had turned into kriffing nightmares and this excursion had all the hallmarks of similar clusterfuck. While he did hope for the best, Ichigo fully expected to have to fight his way to Rukia's side, followed by cutting himself a bloody path to a relative safety. Then there would be the problem of insuring that a vengeful Soul Society stopped hunting them. They would have to either overturn the sentence, find a way to make a deal that they could live with or be on the run forever. That or he would be forced to regain his mantle of the kriffing Dark Lord of the Sith and either subvert or eliminate Soul Society as a credible threat.

Ichigo was so absorbed in his thoughts when he reached his destination that he didn't immediately notice Chad, who was waiting for him next to the door, casually sitting on a rather large crate. His huge friend had his usual calm, almost serene expression.

The Force Adept mentally scolded himself for not paying attention to his surroundings, something that was punctuated by Divine Night giving him her equivalent of head-slap just to make the point. He should have been able to sense his friend a long time before actually seeing him by either utilizing the Force or the ability to feel Reiatsu, which he had discovered during the long days of training. Not to mention, that Ichigo should have felt Urahara's presence by now, though the crazy man probably was down at the training grounds, which were rather well shielded.

"Chad?" It was more of a question than a curt greeting.

Ichigo's friend simply nodded but remained silent. Kurosaki sighed.

"There's no convincing you to go home and forget about this? Are you sure? Invading Shinigami central isn't like anything we've faced. Once we go in, there won't be any turning back."

He received a flat look for his trouble.

"Rukia Kuchiki saved my life. I owe her one."

"I didn't seriously think you would go for it. Welcome to aboard my friend." Ichigo nodded. He understood. After all, he was going it for the same reason, before he figured out that Rukia might be Revan's reincarnated wife too. The latter simply made everything more complicated.

Ichigo almost laughed when Revan's memories prompted me to remember who Chad resembled. He was like a Wookie with a life-debt. Just like Zaalbar.

At least Kurosaki wasn't surprised by Ishida's sudden appearance, because he sensed the other teen approaching despite the Quincy's use of his high speed technique.

"You I certainly didn't expect to see here. Rukia is a Shinigami, like me. Why one of your kind would come to help save her?"

"Save her?" Ishida frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. I have my pride. I can't let go the loss against those two Shinigami."

Ichigo wondered if Ishida was really only after revenge or if he simply used it as a convenient excuse. Perhaps both. At the very least he was out for blood and would provide a distraction if I let him alone in Seireitei. That might work. Besides, Ishida might be of a further use if I could convince him not to go on a suicidal rampage.

Fortunately Ishida wasn't a Force Adept so Ichigo didn't have to worry about him falling to the Dark Side and doing something in-ordinary stupid. He frowned at that thought. Actually when he thought about it, both Chad and the Quincy had rather small Force signature by Republic citizens standards. On the other hand he could sense some potent Reiatsu in both of them.

Ichigo frowned. "And then there were three." He looked to the alley on the right just as Inuoe appeared from the darkens and shyly waved at them. He didn't hear what she said after he laid his eyes upon her, because at that moment he felt something shifting in the Force in a rather familiar way.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Flashback**

Revan was back on the bridge of his flagship. He was watching the Republic task force crumble before the might of his fleet. The enemy fighter wings were being overwhelmed, their small craft were savaged by Sith Interceptors.

He smirked when the shields of a Republic Light Cruiser failed and the ship was ripped apart by Turbolaser fire. The escorts of the small enemy fleet were almost gone, carefully peeled away to expose the capital ships in the center of the their formation. The light show beyond the armored windows of the bridge was a pleasant distraction, while he waited for the core of a Jedi strike team to reach the his location.

The whole battle was a trap, just not for him like the Jedi had planned. The nerve center of his flagship was empty except for couple of dark Jedi and a handful of troopers. The officers who usually worked here were in the auxiliary bridge, far away from the routes taken by the Republic Commandos. Soon enough the doors leading to the ships nerve center were blown open and the enemy poured through.

Revan smiled when the remains of the Jedi strike team send to stop him clashed with his "guards". He looked at the apparent leader, a young woman, barely out of her teens. Her fierce blue eyes were captivating. He could sense her exhaustion, yet here she stood, in a proud stance, clashing swords with a dark Jedi. Bastia Shan. A unique jewel, so similar to his dear wife, yet so different.

At that moment, he received a vision trough the force, which might have cost him dearly if it wasn't for the last of his dark Jedi slowing down the strike team. Revan saw her as his new apprentice. Watched how the infinite possible futures narrow down to two main paths, hanging in the balance of a choice he is yet to make. In the two paths that were open for him, both light and dark, she was there! Standing by his side as one of greatest heroes of the Republic, a proud Jedi knight on the path of becoming a Master an eventually the head of the Jedi High Council. Or the darker path, a full-fledged Sith Lady, just a step bellows the Emperor and Empires, their right hand, in the rising Imperium. No matter the path, she was destined to be his apprentice. He could feel a connection forming through the Force, no matter how subtle. It felt right, as if it should always been there.

He also saw the inevitable betrayal of his current apprentice, Malak. A man he had considered a brother in all but blood. In just few second, his "friend's" personal squadron would open fire and end the reign of the current Dark Lord. Not enough time to reinforce the shields facing the traitor's ships or order the rest of the fleet to deal with the them. He was out maneuvered by his apprentice. Part of him hated the betrayal, while deep down, he knew that it was inevitable. The way of the Sith. Another part admired Malak's cunning. His plan had slipped by the vast intelligence networks working to prevent treachery from within and interference from outside sources. Yet another raged because his apprentice didn't have the guts to face him in single combat. It was useless. For a time the mantle of The Dark Lord will be Malak's. Only one thing remained.

Revan locked eyes with Bastia, just as the first turbolaser bolts began impacting his ship. He reached through the force, using all his might to shield them from the bombardment. The strain was incredible. While the ship was blown apart, piece by piece, under their feet, the bridge held intact. Revan was at his limit.

As shadows began to shroud his sight and his defense started to waver, a quiet, familiar voice asked: " _What would you choose, Ichigo?"_

Then Revan knew only darkness. He floated in it, safe from the world within its gentle embrace. Then he was standing in a moonlit desert landscape, ghostly forms weaving around him. A wolf howled nearby , the sound causing the apparitions to scatter. He could hear the animal trotting nearby, its soft steps muffed by the sand. It barked playfully from behind. Before returning to the safe darkness he could swear that he heard Bastia's voice as if coming from far, far away. "What is your choice, Revan?"

 **Flashback End**

 **=KoSS=**

Ichigo did not know how long he stayed like that, his eyes locked on Orihime's. The memory was so vivid, like he just relieved it. Yes, the same feeling. He could feel the Force in the busty teen who he was facing. It was a happy bubbling river, bundles and indomitable. Oh, yes, after dealing with Soul Society, he'll have his hands full. Inuoe as an apprentice. That would be interesting.

" _Divine night."_ Ichigo spoke in his mind, knowing that his Zanpakuto would hear him.

 _"Revan."_ He could hear his partner's acknowledgment. "You was with me even then, weren't you?" the Soul Reaper asked.

 _"In a sense. I'm a part of your soul, which means that I was a part of Revan's back then. I might be able to tel you more once you achieve Bankai. Ask me again then."_

Well, wasn't this a rather interesting answer? Ichigo was getting sick of secrets and half-truth, while the part of him that was Revan accepted it as being something normal.

"You to, eh?" He smiled at Inuoe.

"Rukia needs our help. We can't abandon her." She vigorously nodded.

Ichigo smiled. Once again he was about to start a desperate mission accompanied by a rag tag group of friends and if the Reiatsu he sensed from them, neither of the trio was going to be helpless… Which begged the question who trained them?

At that moment he sensed a new presence and whirled around to confront it. To his surprise it was a cat or at least something that appeared to be one. Considering that he could sense enough Reiatsu from the feline to rival Urahara's, Ichigo was sure that there was much more going on that met the eye. Shape-shifter perhaps? What's more, as he concentrated his attention on the newcomer and feeling up his Reiatsu, he could sense traces of it upon his friends. Was this the one who had apparently trained them?

"What or rather who do we have here?" Ichigo asked, doing his best to channel the best Coruscanti Upper crust accent he could manage. "You have my thanks for training my friends. May have I the pleasure of learning your name, milady? Would you be joining us on our little stroll through Soul Society?"

"You aren't what I expected, boy." The cat spoke in a male voice, before turning its head towards Urahara, who had just appeared through the front door of his shop, and hissed at him.

"Don't look at me! I didn't tell him anything about you!" Kisuke stammered.

"My apologies for revealing your secret, milady. It's obviously you use this form to protect yourself from the unwanted advances of that pervert." I pointed at Urahara, who groaned.

"Enough fun. Let's go inside." Kisuke grumbled while the cat was busy laughing its tail off.

What followed convinced Ichigo that Urahara's brand of madness was contagious. When they entered the trained area, Inuoe exclaimed: "Oh! Such a big space under the store! It's so cool! It is like a secret base!"

Then the weirdness continued! Tessai appeared from nowhere, grabbed Orihime's right hand and started crying.

"Such a magnificent reaction! I, Tessai am deeply moved." Kurosaki felt the need to bang his head on the nearest rock. That was way beyond Jedi or even Sith level of "strangeness" and straight on the way of typical Sith insanity. He'd have to keep a close eye on these people in the future. Suddenly he dreaded the idea of crossing dimensions through device created by those madmen. Then he paled wondering if they will reach Seireitei intact.

While Urahara gave a brief and sorely lacking explanation of the Senkai gate, the bastard tried to blind side Ichigo with his cane. Kurosaki turned around just in time to catch the offending item, before it could hit him and separate his soul from his body. "You never learn, do you? It is obvious why Benihime is pissed off all the time. Let's not forget this fine lady," He pointed at the cat, "Who is forced to be in that form so she won't be bothered by you!" Ichigo growled at Urahara.

"Hey I have a name!" Came the indignant reply in melodic female voice. Ichigo used the cane to exit his body and turned to the cat, smiling. "You still haven't introduced yourself, my dear."

At that she managed to look a bit sheepish and murmured "Yoruichi".

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Pleased to make you acquaintance." He nodded her way.

"What a charmer. You are nothing like Urahara described you." She tilted her head to the right and looked him in the eyes. Kurosaki or Revan?' she wondered. He's definitely changed. Yoruichi decided that she should keep a close watch over him. He was an unknown element, which could blow up the stewing situation in Seireitei to kingdom come.

"Hopefully, after we clean up this mess, we can chat more, milady. Not to mention when we are beyond the reach of the super pervert over there!" He winked at her, pointing at Urahara.

Soon the preparations were done. His friends were shocked when Kisuke dropped his next surprise. The portal will be opened for only four minutes. Doable, but it will be close, very close. Ichigo looked over his friends and spoke with confidence he didn't feel.

"The heart and soul are connected. Strive forward and don't look back. I won't leave anyone in the Precipice world." It was to boost their confidence, but not even close to the speeches he had given during the wars. He was out of practice. Good that he didn't have to motivate defeated soldiers and try to rebuild shattered morale.

Minute later, they were running through the tunnel leading to Soul Society. Ichigo was leading the group, cursing venomously in Huttese, vowing bloody retribution on Urahara. The fucking tunnel was falling apart behind them! He cursed one last time and immersed himself in the Force, using a bastard version of Battle meditation to energize his companions and slow the crumbling tunnel by infusing it with his own Reiatsu. They barely made it. Once they reached the exit they jumped out only to find themselves falling down. The doorway had formed approximately fifteen meters in the air. Ichigo was barely able to slow down their fall, enough for Inuoe to use her shield and protect them from crashing on the ground. The only silver lining of this debacle was the confirmation that the Force existed even in these dimensions and could affect the spiritual constructs in them.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **=KoSS=**

 **The outskirts of Seireitei**

"That was interesting." Sarcasm dripped from Ichigo's voice. "Yoruichi, what else you and that idiot neglected to mention?" The Substitute Shinigami glared at the shape-shifter.

The cat hissed, her ears going flat along her skull. "I'm going to kill that fool."

"Not if I get my hands on him first. What's your plan anyway? I'm sure you didn't come along just to stretch your legs."

"Isn't this something you should have asked before getting here?"

"Not really. I wanted to get here before Urahara had some bright idea."

"We need to find an old friend of mine. She could send us through the barrier surrounding Seireitei."

"How long would it take to find that friend and go in that way? Are they trustworthy?"

"She won't betray us to the Shinigami. At least couple of days."

"Go. I'll meet you inside."

"What?!" Both Yoruichi and Inoue exclaimed. Ishida gave him an incredulous look and only Chad was unperturbed by that statement.

"I'll enter the old fashioned way and run recon. Unless there's something about the gatekeepers that Urahara forgot to mention?"

"Once Seireitei is sealed they won't open the gates for you."

"You don't know me, princess. I can be very persuasive when I need to be." There was steel in Ichigo's voice that his friends had never heard before. "When you penetrate the barrier I'll use the distraction to save Rukia. Go." Ichigo ordered with Revan Commander's tone and turned towards the heart of Soul Society.

He didn't need to look at his friends to know that they had incredulous expressions on their faces. Ichigo smirked and channeled Reiatsu at the basic Shinigami uniform that he usually wore in his spirit form. He was surrounded by pale light and his clothes transformed in the armored robes he used when his Shikai was active.

"Yoruichi, I know that Urahara briefed you on my abilities. I'll be all right. Go."

Kurosaki sighed and headed towards his destination. No matter how well the shape-shifter trained his friends, they simply weren't up to the task of facing the more dangerous Shinigami. He could feel their Reiatsu. Only Ishida had the reserves and speed to last more than a few moments against the more powerful opponents that they were going to face in there. Going in solo would make sure that Ichigo wouldn't be hamstrung by needing to protect his friends all the time, which by itself was going to increase his options. He would have to hope that Yoruichi could take care of them while he saved Rukia.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida shouted. "Just try not to do anything stupid, all right?"

"Like what?! Unleashing Hollow bait in the middle of the town?" Ichigo rolled his eyes. Even Revan and Malak had managed to avoid doing something that dumb, at least when they were at the same age.

"Go and stay safe!" Ichigo said and vanished in a side street.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Soul Society, the evening of the same day** **

It took Ichigo mere hours sneaking around the so called "Heaven" to decide that when he died he would like to either become one with the Force or a damn Hollow.

Put plainly, the afterlife here sucked almost as bad as the seedier places on Nar Shadda he had visited. It didn't take him long to find out that the local population wasn't actually made of Shinigami. In fact it consisted of ordinary souls languishing in abject poverty until they lucked out and got reincarnated. Those lucky enough to die with substantial Reiatsu were drawn within the ranks of the Shinigami and send to an Academy where they learned the ropes.

Further, the supposed guardians of this place rarely ventured forth unless a Hollow somehow found its way in this dimension. That at least partially explained the mess. The only people who had the power to fix it apparently didn't give a damn. While he in fact heard about a few Shinigami who did venture forth and tried to help, those were long and far between and had little practical effect on the situation as a whole.

On the other hand, there were Shinigami who got out of their way to terrorize the populace too.

The scowl Ichigo had been wearing after he started to create a picture of the local situation deepened. Eventually he would have to do something about this mess. By the Force, even as a kriffing Sith he might have done so anyway! He shook his head in disgust and continued towards the gate that was his target.

According to Urahara, if his information could actually be trusted, the best bet on breaking in by himself was the so called Gate of Pure Spirits, which was guarded by one Jibanbo. That Shinigami was supposedly not too bright, but still a rather decent sort as far as the Death Gods went.

Eventually Ichigo neared the border of Seireitei near the place where the gate was supposed to be. He glared at down the street leading into Seireitei's proper. There was no sight of a wall, much less a checkpoint or a door. What the kriff?!

Ichigo strode down the road, while he was carefully scanning the surrounding area for an ambush. He was about to cross the border when a pulse of Reiatsu halted him in his tracks. A wave of stone slabs fell from the sky, forming the previously missing wall. The street itself was bisected in two by a quite large ornate door.

Ichigo cursed himself for an idiot. If he had moved fast enough he might have passed before the wall was in place. Who thought that this was supposed to be a decent defense anyway? Now that he knew more about it, no thanks to Urahara, actually breaching it would be rather simple… if he was willing to wait for however long it took for the barrier to disappear.

He didn't feel particularly patient right then and there. "Where's that gatekeeper anyway?" Ichigo muttered, while looking around.

As if waiting for Kurosaki to thing about him, a huge man jumped from the top of the wall and landed between Ichigo and the door. That made the Substitute Shinigami scowl even harder. He hadn't felt the man until he was over the wall. In fact, he couldn't sense it by using his ability to detect Reiatsu, which was strange in itself. He could feel everything around him that way, which was normal considering that every single thing in this dimension was made of spiritual particles.

Ichigo shrugged and studied the guardian. Strange haircut, check. A single metal pauldron over the left shoulder, check. A frigging giant who made full grown Wookies look like little babies, check again. Ah, yeah. Two axes, each bigger than Ichigo. Yep. That was his target, all right.

"Damn, you're big." Ichigo whistled in appreciation. Suddenly fighting the man didn't seem like the best idea in the world. It was a good thing that Kurosaki had other options thanks to Revan and the Force.

"You will let me pass and open the gate." Ichigo waved at the giant, while channeling the Force and layering it in his voice. At the same time he brushed the man's rather simple mind, reinforcing the suggestion. "You can see that there are no intruders here." Kurosaki added.

Jibanbo blinked in confusion. "No intruders." The giant parroted. "You can pass."

The gatekeeper turned around and grabbed the gate with his massive hands. He stood that way for a few seconds and then heaved, slowly pulling it up.

"Great work, my friend. Thank you." Ichigo beamed at the huge man and hurried to pass. There was no point in wasting time and giving the man any more time to think what was happening than was necessary.

Kurosaki was about to step over the threshold, when he saw a single figure in the center of the small square beyond the gate.

"Fuck my luck." Ichigo cursed. He recognized the man from Urahara's briefings. This was Gin Ichimaru, Captain of the Third squad.

"That aint' right." The Shinigami smiled thinly. He unsheathed his Zanpakuto, which wasn't longer than a tanto. In a blink of an eye the blade extended and cut through Jibano's left arm..

The giant groaned in pain, barely holding the gate open. Gin frowned at that and his blade flashed again, inflicting an identical wound on the gatekeeper's other hand. Jibanbo roared in pain and released the door, which slammed in the ground a moment later.

That was more than enough time for Ichigo to calmly walk into the courtyard and pull out his Zanpakuto, activating it.

Gin's eyes widened a fraction when he saw the energy blade.

Ichigo went into the standard Soresu defensive position and glared at the Captain.

"You just cut down one of your own. Pathetic." That was what the Sith did once they started losing their faculties under the seductive ministrations of the Dark Side. Before Ichimaru could reply, Ichigo used the Force and pulled the Captain towards him.

Despite being caught flat footed by the attack, Gin managed to twist in mid air and parry a slash that would have spilled his guts on the ground if it had connected.

"Nice trick." The Captain complimented, while floating half a meter above the ground. Gin pointed his wakizashi shaped weapon at Ichigo. "Shoot him dead, Shinso." Ichimaru whispered quietly. In a blink of an eye the Zanpakuto elongated and tried to skewer Ichigo.

While it was very fast and had a lot of power behind it, the attack couldn't really compare to the rain of blaster bolts that a Jedi or Sith would be expected to face. The main difference was the sheer mass and momentum behind the attack. Unless Ichigo was careful, Ichimaru would be able to simply batter through his defense.

Gin gave him an enigmatic smile. "Who are you, ryoka?" The Captain was obviously amused to face an opponent who wouldn't be brushed aside without effort.

"You can call me Revan." Ichigo answered without thinking and used a Flash Step to eat the distance between them.

Gin was forced to parry a slash aimed at his eyes. Before he could counter-attack, Ichigo jumped away and pushed him back using the Force.

Kurosaki looked around. A bunch of unseated Shinigami and a Lieutenant with tattooed "69" on his face had arrived and were watching the show. None of them appeared willing to interrupt the fight.

"All this for little old me? I'm flattered." Ichigo smiled. "Rise, Divine Night!" He intoned. The wave of Reiatsu unleashed by his Shikai release threw away all but Gin and the lieutenant. After the dust cleared, Ichigo had a lightsaber in each hand. His robes hadn't changed in design though they appeared to be better armored.

The Seireitei Shinigami looked surprised, which was expected.

Reapers whose Zanpakuto took the form of more than one blade were uncommon. The most famous of them were Ukitake and Kyōraku, the two of the most powerful Captains in the Gotei 13. The other notable dual - wielding soul reaper, lieutenant Shuuhei was present and watching the battle.

Ichigo smiled behind his mask. He infused his blades with the Force, greatly increasing their striking power and charged using Shunpo. In seconds, the courtyard where the combat took place was obscured by dust. Gin was constantly changing the length of his blade. The speed and raw power of his attacks were much greater than he had demonstrated previously, but he was yet to land a blow on his opponent.

Ichigo was retaliating with concentrated blasts of Force channeled through his lightsabers. At the same time he was relaying on the defensive advantage of this saber form to deflect the raining strikes.

For the time being, they were were evenly matched. Ichimaru's mastery of Shunpo and greater experience were, neutralized by Force enhanced reflexes and Ichigo's ability to anticipate Gin's actions a split second before they occurred. As things stood it was a game of attrition, one which Ichigo could not hope to win. Soon the captain would either receive reinforcements or increase the level of his game. Then there was the Lieutenant watching on the sidelines.

If Ichigo was particularly lucky, he had two, may be three minutes to retreat.

Kurosaki threw the lightsaber in his left hand at Gin. The weapon to be effortlessly battered aside by the Captain, just as the Force Adept had expected. Channeling the Force with his free hand, Ichigo pulled the captain to him, only staggering Ichimaru. The Captain had learned how to largely resist the telekinetic pull and push used by the substitute Shinigami, by using Reiatsu to counter the effects of such attacks.

Kurosaki Flash Stepped to the left side of Gin and engaged him in close combat. The following furious exchange was too fast for mortal eyes to follow. The two Soul Reapers fought to a standstill for a full minute, neither bulging or giving ground. When Ichigo was sure that he had his opponent complete attention, he summoned his second lightsaber, guiding it with the Force. Its blade activated mid-air. Thanks to the hum of Ichigo's other weapon, Ichimaru didn't hear the fast approaching threat.

Yet he somehow sensed the danger. In an astounding display of swordsmanship, Gin turned around, disengaging his Zanpakuto from Kurosaki's light saber. He somehow brought up his sword in time to parry the black blade centimeters from his face. That was not all. In the same fluid motion, he was able to nearly slice Ichigo's face open. The human was saved by a hasty Force assisted jump, which propelled him backwards. Instead of cleaving his face in half, the captain managed to only slice his mask, which fell to the ground in two pieces.

The opponents were for the first time face to face. Gin's eyes widened for a moment when he noticed the spiky orange hair under the hood of his adversary's robe.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Aren't you interesting." Ichimaru smirked.

Before the Substitute Shinigami could answer, both combatants turned their heads to the center of Seireitei. They could sense many powerful Reiatsu sources racing to their position.

Ichigo smiled: "I guess we'll have to finish some other time." He created a sphere of Force energy in his left hand and launched it at Gin, who promptly evaded with Shunpo. However, the Captain wasn't the target. The sphere hit the battered ground where Ichimaru was standing a moment ago, blowing a pillar of dirt and dust in the air. The explosion did its job and obscured Gin's vision for a few seconds.

That was all the time Ichigo needed. He dropped out of his Shikai, his second blade disappearing and shrouded himself with the Force. He used it to bend the light around his body and dampen any sound he might make. At the same time he suppressed his Reiatsu as much as he could, though not before letting out a pulse of his Spirit power, which saturated the surrounding area.

Then he left with a Flash Step.

 **=KoSS=**

Gin raised an eyebrow. The kid's spiritual presence just vanished. He prepared for a sneak attack. After all a bit of healthy paranoia hadn't hurt anyone in Seireitei. Moments later, the first of the reinforcements arrived only to find no trace of the intruder.

This "Revan" had escaped under his nose. Ichimaru made one of his rare genuine smiles, usually reserved for Rangiku and the pleasant occasions when something did not go according to one of Aizen's plans. Speaking about the devil… Aizien would be rather surprised by the prowess of his pet project. Who would have thought that Ichigo Kurosaki could hold his own against a Captain even if Gin did hold back much of his power...

The people of note to arrive were Renji Abarai and Toshiro Hitsugaya.

"What the hell?!" The red headed Lieutenant exclaimed after taking in the devastation. A sentiment that was obviously shared by the short Captain.

Gin decided not to keep them in suspense, because he was in a rather good mood.

"A ryoka. We fought to a standstill, before he managed to escape. You can't miss him. He'll either have a dark mask or..." Gin looked Renji Abarai in the eyes. "A very distinctive orange hair." Renji's eyes widened. Then the rest of the reinforcements arrived.

Gin, assumed his usual unnerving expression, while waiting for the inevitable fallout of the skirmish. Things were looking up.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Interlude****

 ** **Hueco Mundo****

The world of the Hollows. An endless dune sea, made by fine white sand that was always was lit up by a full moon. As usual the perpetual night was filled by the sound of various hunting Hollows. Some grows of triumph, others – the final cries of the unlucky ones who were about to be consumed.

The agonized howls of a wolf could be heard in one small corner of the desert. A dozen predators homed on the sound anticipating easy meal. The first to arrive was a serpent like beast with no hand nor legs. It slithered on the sands like the snake it resembled, coming upon the source of pain filled howls.

The serpentine Hollow stopped, confused by what it found. The cries were coming from egg shaped slab of bone like substance. It wasn't looking particularly tasty.

Soon it was joined by its fellow monsters, who formed semicircle around the strange object. They all looked at it unsure, while growling, hissing and snarling at each other. After all they had to make sure that one of their fellows won't decide that they are great for lunch.

A loud crack interrupted the cacophony of animal sounds. A piece from the bone cocoon had broken off, revealing female head crowned by long, curly purple hair. Deep blue innocent eyes blinked at the wall of teeth, claws and pincers arrayed around her. The girl's delicate face showed her confusion. She squirmed, trying to free herself of this strange prison.

Her predicament was not lost on the hollows. To them she was an easy prey. The serpent slithered forward, striking with all the speed and brutality of the predator it resembled. Drops of poison flowed from it's bared fangs, hissing as they hit the sand.

It never had the chance to strike the girl. With ominous hum, a dark purple blade broke through the cocoon where she was still trapped and caught the attacker under the chin. Its own momentum drove it forward, splitting it open on the plasma blade. The Hollow didn't have time to even scream in pain before its dying body was broken into spirit particles and absorbed by the energy sword. Everyone stayed still for a moment, mesmerized by the lightsaber.

The girl stood up, suddenly filled with energy. The bone prison enveloping most of her form shattered as if it was made of thin sheet of fragile glass. This action shook the hollows out of their stupor. The girl was no longer an easy meal, now she was treat that needed dealing with.

Almost as one, the monsters charged her. She stumbled back, startled by the sudden assault and fell on the sand.

"No! Stay back!" Her frightened voice echoed amongst the dunes. The purple haired girl raised her left hand in what seemed like a futile gesture to protect herself form advancing avalanche of teeth and claws. To everyone's surprise, a wave of invisible energy surged from the palm of her hand. It obliterated the remains of her cocoon, scattering it's pieces to the winds. Then it slammed at the rushing monsters, blowing most of them off their feet. Only two to the left, and one on the right remained standing.

The duo was staggered and slowed down, however the one to the right, a big insect resembling a praying mantis, was only brushed by the edge of the surprising attack and wasted no time in closing on its meal.

The armored insect surged forward. Its razor sharp mandibles were chittering with anticipation. The Hollow was just couple of meters away from its intended victim when the girl's eyes flashed yellow. With a snarl she jumped in the air, energy sword swinging down.

She landed gracefully on the sand behind her would be attacker. The mantis body slumped to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut. It's head, which was missing from its shoulders was a few meters away, rolling in the sand.

The remains of the mantis promptly broke away into a shower of dancing sparkles that were promptly absorbed by the purple blade. The teenage girl was acting on instinct, though it felt strange. It as like a voice was whispering in the back of her head, guiding her actions. Prompting her to slaughter those who dared attack her. She raised her left hand again, this time an orb of purple energy forming in her palm.

"Cero." She whispered. The shimmering orb condensed into a beam and shot at the just standing up monsters. The resulting explosion obliterated all but the two on the left, who were coming uncomfortably close to her position. She gripped her sword with both hands and grinned.

She had never felt more alive.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 4**

 **=KoSS=**

 ****Holding Cells****

 ** **Sixth Division's barracks****

 ** **Seireitei****

Rukia's current accommodations left a lot to be desired. Still, she had lived in much, much worse conditions when her older sister and her were stuck in the Rugokai. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would have expected a cell to be the particularly comfortable.

Rukia was sitting on the hard bed that was the only real piece of furniture she had at her disposal, afraid to fall asleep. It all started a couple of days after her sentencing – strange, confusing dreams that often turned into nightmares. For example, last night Rukia dreamed of a man, who at first she thought to be Ichigo. It began in a half-demolished tunnel, which had a floor strewn with debris and a thick layer of dust. She was walking to the right of a man waring Ichigo's face and another male to his left side. The other male was tall and bald. He was dressed in a curious form fitting yellow robe. It was nothing like she had seen any Shinigami or even human in the living world wear.

The Ichigo's look alike was clad in heavy hooded black robes, which contrasted with her tasteful yet simple white outfit. Kurosaki's doppelganger wore his clothes as if they were a second skin, an integral part of who he was.

"Is it worth it, Revan?" The bald man asked in strange, yet familiar accent.

They reached weathered metal doors and the dream ended.

Rukia had dreamed that segment multiple times, often followed by some kind of nightmare which she never could quite remember. There was the feeling of violent combat and impending doom that she recalled, but no matter how hard the Kuchiki heiress tried, she simply couldn't recall anything else.

She didn't get much rest that night.

"Revan." Rukia's lips parted as she softly muttered the name. She was carefully testing each syllable, checking which pronunciation felt right. At the same time, she was wondering why whispering the name was sending quite pleasant shivers down the back of her spine.

Deep down, far below the level of conscious thought, Rukia could sense some kind of a connection with the bearer of that name. Each time she dreamed of him, she could swear that she felt as much as hared his words. As if she was sensing his thoughts and feelings before he could either voice or show them in any way, even if that made no real sense. She could feel sadness, unshakable determination and... love?

Who the hell was Revan? Why did she dream of him with Ichigo's face?! Why when thinking of Revan, did she feel even more regret if that was even possible, for being the cause of Ichigo's demise?

Rukia knew that the chances of Kurosaki surviving her brother's attack even with immediate medical intervention were slim to none and even if he did, he would be rendered powerless by the attack... and easy prey for any Hollow that stumbled near the poor boy.

Rukia's thoughts were rudely interrupted by a sudden, explosive release of Reiatsu that came from two different sources. One was definitely a Captain level. Ichimaru, unless she was very much mistaken. The other... it was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. The pressure was coming from the direction of the Gate of Pure Souls. Was someone dumb enough to try trespassing on Seireitei's soul only to run into a Captain of all people? Poor bastard.

The ebb and flow of Reiatsu she felt indicated a battle. That by itself was impressive if worrying. Anyone who could stand against a Captain even for a brief period of time, wasn't someone to take lightly. In fact, Rukia had trouble believing what her senses were telling her. Was Seireitei under attack?

She was left in the dark for a few minutes until the oddly familiar presence was gone, leaving only Gin's Reiatsu. So the Captain won as it was expected.

Rukia sighed, pitying whoever had to face the snake like man.

Soon she drifted out, finally claimed by exhaustion. Before she knew it, Rukia was dreaming again.

 _ _She was walking__ _ _through__ _ _a grass covered plain.__ _ _It was__ _ _nested amongst low hills, no higher than two hundred meters. A strange hound__ _ _was padding next to her. It was__ _ _colored__ _ _in__ _ _soft brown__ _ _resembling__ _ _light cocoa – milk mi__ _ _x__ _ _and__ _ _it was__ _ _covered with irregular white spots. Every few seconds the beast was stopping to look at her and bark playfully. Light, warm__ _ _wind__ _ _swung the knee high grass, in a calming manner. In the crystal clear sky, the local flying fauna was lazy gliding in the air upon leather wings. It was tranquil, relaxing scene, which could not alleviate Rukia's inner turmoil. She was a "guest" in a gilded cage, while the galaxy bur__ _ _ned__ _ _in the flames of civil war. She wasn't trusted by the Jedi, no matter that she was one of their own.__

 _ _In the eyes of most beings in the Republic, she was guilty by association. As far as the Jedi were concerned – she was either a ticking time bomb or a tool to be used against the Dark Lord of the Sith.__

 _ _Darth Revan. The Great Traitor.__

 _ _The man who sundered the Jedi Order, the__ _ _G__ _ _eneral who turned on the Republic, taking a full third of the fleet with him. That's how the galaxy saw him - as a traitor and a monster. She bristled at the thought. For her he was__ _ _Revan, the__ _ _Jedi Knight, who dared defy the Order and led hundreds of Jedi against the Mandalorians. He was the__ _ _G__ _ _eneral who stopped the clans onslaught.__

 _ _The__ _ _same__ _ _man who was responsible for slaying Mandalore himself, ending the Mandalorian wars__ _ _in one fell sweep at Malachor V.__

 _ _More importantly he was__ _ _Revan,__ _ _her husband. The man she still loved. The one she abandoned after Malachor V. Intellectually, Rukia knew she did__ _ _n't__ _ _cause his fall to the Dark side. Yet, there was that nagging voice in her head, one that was gaining strength each day. She could hear a ghostly whisper on the wind - "__ _ _ **You left him in the shadows."**__

 _ _Rukia turned her head to the__ _ _side. Her__ _ _haunted eyes__ _ _were__ _ _searching for the sound of the voice. The hound stopped,__ _ _a__ _ _confused paw hanging in mid - step. The animal shook its massive head and looked around, its ears moving like echo-locators.__

 _ _ **"You**__ _ _ **were his lifeline during the war, the one**__ _ _ **thing**__ _ _ **keeping him sane. And you ran away at the critical moment."**__

 _ _Rukia's attention was caught by her hound's growling. She looked to the right to see a ghostly outline of a woman hidden by a__ _ _black__ _ _cloak. The apparition used it's dark gloved right hand to remove__ _ _the__ _ _hood, revealing a distorted mirror image of Rukia. The Jedi could see a mockery of her face.__ _ _It was__ _ _gaunt, brimmed by dark sickly looking veins and glowing yellow eyes.__

 _ _ **"You**__ _ _ **were terrified. I can sense it, even now you reek of fear."**__ _ _Her__ _ _double hissed. Rukia's' hand moved to the hilt of her saber,__ _ _only__ _ _to grasp__ _ _thin__ _ _air. Her light saber was back in the Jedi enclave, confiscated until the masters made their mind about her fate.__

 _ _The force apparition caked in sick__ _ _dark amusement.__

 _ _ **"Foolish girl! You were the one person in the galaxy who could have prevented the rise of**__ _ _ **Darth**__ _ _ **Revan. Instead you abandoned him! You were so afraid of becoming me as to run away! You caused all of this!"**__

 _ _Rukia saw Ichigo laying on__ _ _dark, damp street.__ _ _His black robes were sliced open to reveal a deep slash on his chest. Cool rain was pouring on his bleeding body, a crimson stream leaking down the street.__

She was awoken from her nightmare by Renji's arrival at her cell door. Rukia shook her head, trying to chase the already half forgotten dream away.. The only thing she remembered from it was Ichigo as she last saw him, dying in a pool of his own blood. A fate brought by her own actions. It was a fitting nightmare, she guessed. He was dead because of her.

Her friend looked at her sadly. She stared back with dark circles under her eyes.

"Renji." Rukia greeted with hollow voice. She didn't feel like being particularly sociable.

 **=KoSS=**

Renji had to suppress a glare. It was all that carrot top's fault! That bastard had stolen her powers; her condition was that meddler's fault!

"Seireitei's security was breached two hours ago." He grated with barely controlled voice. Rukia numbly nodded as if she didn't care. Considering everything that had happened, he couldn't really blame her for that. He continued anyway. "Captain Ichimaru fought a ryoka. They were evenly matched."

Rukia raised an eyebrow at that. Holding your own against any captain, however briefly was nothing to scoff at. Renji had no idea how that bastard had pulled it of. Then again it was Ichimaru. That man had been probably playing with the intruder, giving him enough time to find a way to escape.

"The ryoka managed to suppress his Reiatsu and escape, before reinforcements arrived." He looked her in the eyes, wanting to see her reaction at his next worlds. "The Ryoka..." He spat. "Had orange hair." At that Rukia's eyes widened. The next words struck her speeches "He called himself Revan."

"Ichigo..." Rukia muttered quietly.

"What's with you and that bastard?!" Renji exploded. What was wrong with Rukia?! "It's all his fault! You're going to be executed because of him!"

"Why?" Rukia simply asked. "Why do you hate him so much? None of this is his fault! If I hadn't given him his powers we would have both died along with his family! Why is it such a crime for a boy to be given the power to save his little sister?!" Rukia exclaimed in quiet fury.

Renji shook his head, unable to give her a good answer. That was the will of Central 46 and as Shinigami of Gotei 13, he was sworn to uphold that decision, no matter what. That should have been all the answer he needed, right? The law needed to be upheld, even if it condemned his childhood friend.

He looked at Rukia for a moment longer and silently left, mentally cursing the damn Ryoka, the law and the injustice of it all.

A mall, treacherous part of his heart wondered why he wasn't doing anything to save her.

Back in her cell, Rukia was flabbergasted. On one hand, she was thrilled that Ichigo was apparently not only alive, but had somehow retained his powers. Then she was crushed by a wave of despair. He was going to get hurt, probably actually die this time, all because of herself. She had no illusions that he could actually face the true strength of Seireitei. She had seen him fight, knew how powerful he was.

So she knew that he simply wasn't strong enough to make a difference.

Then there was the name he was apparently calling himself.

"Revan." She muttered. Again that name. What the hell did it all mean?!

Stupid dreams!

 **=KoSS=**

 **F** **ew hours later**

 **In the vicinity of Eleventh Divisions**

Ichigo sneezed again. He hoped that he wasn't catching a cold. Could a Shinigami catch a cold anyway?!

He looked at the map, provided by Urahara and wondered what will be the best way to 6th and 13th division's compounds. They were practically side by side in the south east corner of Seireitei. The problem was his location. After the encounter with Ichimaru, he had ended near eleventh division. If the info given by the crazy scientist, was correct, they were Soul Society's version of Mandalorians. Bunch of battle hungry maniacs, without the redeeming feature of the Mandalorian honor code.

As for Gin, the man wasn't just a snake as portrayed by that huttspawn Urahara. No, he was more like a fox, a very interesting man indeed. Especially considering, what Ichigo had felt when he crossed Zanpakutos with him. He was looking forward their next meeting. It promised to be enlightening.

Kurosaki stowed the map in one of the pockets of his battle robes and headed east. He intended to sneak by 9th division compound and reach the training areas, which he hoped to be deserted at this time of night. Then he planned to check the fourth for Rukia's Captain who, thanks to his sickness was a frequent visitor there. According to Hat and Clogs, Rukia's boss would be sympathetic and might help rescuing his subordinate. If the Captain wasn't there, Ichigo would have to choose whether to head for the sixth and rescue Rukia, if she was still imprisoned there, or search for Ukitake at his division.

His musings were interrupted by mental slap on the back of the head, promptly delivered by Divine Night. Once again Kurosaki was too deep in his thoughts that he failed to keep attention on his surroundings.

"Damn, I have to stop doing that before I get my ass killed." He muttered. Losing situational awareness like that wasn't good. At all. Just as he was reaching a side alley on the deserted street he was walking on, the Substitute came face to face with duo of Shinigami. He was stopped in his tracks by the sight and stared.

One was a muscular, bald man with small red markings in the corners of his eyes. The other was a feminine in appearance, with colorful feathers on the corners of his eyelashes. He also had peacock feathers tucked on the left side of his shoulder length hair.

"Dafuq?" The uncharacteristic exclamation nicely summarized Ichigo's thoughts on the strange duo and further validated by the bald man's actions.

The Shinigami had started to dance immediately after he saw Ichigo. If you could call those movements dancing with a straight face that is….

The strange Soul Reaper was busy canting "Lucky!" again and again, irritating Kurosaki quite a bit. Meanwhile, the other Shinigami was looking all over Ichigo with an appraising eye.

"The robes aren't too unfashionable, but what's with that mask! It's UGLY!" He practically shrieked the word. "It's an eyesore that must be removed!"

"My mask is kriffing perfect! No one disrespects it!" Ichigo roared, stunning the two Soul Reapers. It was a relic from his time as a Jedi and Sith, one he was glad that came back with Revan's memories and the Force. It was able to stop blaster bolts and even resist a glancing strike by a lightsaber!

Most importantly, the original mask was a present from Revan's wife, given to him the day before he left for the Mandalorian wars. It was something Revan had treasured until his dying day.

That was a sentiment that Ichigo found that he shared.

Ichigo frowned. Until this moment, he had been unaware of the origin of the mask. It was juts a part of his armor.

However, he didn't have time to think more deeply on the issue, because the Shinigami chose that moment to leave their stupor and draw their swords. Ichigo took his own weapon in hand and activated the lightsaber, taking Djem Cho stance. He held the lightsaber in a two-handed grip above his head, angling it up and slightly to his back.

"Who are the two of you anyway?" Kurosaki asked. He didn't immediately recognize them from the briefings, which would be hard if they were mentioned at all. You couldn't easily forget two such strange people.

"I'm Ikkaku Madarame and this peacock over there is Yumichika Ayasegawa." The bald man introduced them, while the colorful bird glared at him.

"I'm Revan." Ichigo stated and Flash Stepped forward, unleashing a powerful overhead blow aimed at Ikkaku. The unexpected attack broke through the Shinigami's guard, allowing the tip of the lightsaber to sear a line over his right eyebrow. A moment later, Kurosaki was forced back by an angry slash by Yumichika.

That was the start of series of furious attacks, that made Ichigo fall back a few paces, while he was weaving an impenetrable barrier with his lightsaber. He fell back another step and the feathered man followed, thus gaining more distance between the loyalist Shinigami.

Ichigo decided that this was a good moment to go to the offense. He deflected Yumichka's next slash to the side, making him overextend. Ichigo's following riposte made a shallow slash on his opponents chest, causing him to jump back with a painted cry. While the lightsaber cauterized the wounds which they caused, preventing blood loss, the burns made by the energy blades hurt a lot, much more than a similar wound inflicted by regular blade.

While his partner temporally retreated, Ikkaku stood against Ichigo and unsealed his Zanpakuto.

"Nobiro Hōzukimaru" He shouted after placing his scabbard at the bottom of his weapon's hilt. His Zanpakuto was enveloped in white light for a moment, which faded to reveal a naginata with slightly curved blade and red horsehair tassel on the pommel.

Madarame went on the offense, using his weapon superior reach to attack with impunity. Ichigo was forced back by multiple stabbing attempts, even if he was able to parry them all.

When the next attack came, aimed at Kurosaki's left shoulder, he lunged forward. He used his lightsaber as a lever to push the naginata away from his body. Ichigo moved toward his opponent while keeping their weapons in contacts with each other. The energy blade scrapped over the length of the spear, burning a long gash in its wood frame.

Madarame smiled despite the approaching enemy.

"Sakero Hōzukimaru!" The Shinigami shouted. The naginata split into a three part staff connected by metal chain. The weapon twisted around Ichigo. It's blade flew at the Force Adept's head. Ichigo promptly dropped on his knees so the weapon only cut off a few stray hairs from the top of his head. Channeling the Force through his legs, Kurosaki surged forward, before Ikkaku could recover himself from the failed gambit. Ichigo delivered a devastating slash, which carved Madarame from left shoulder to his right hip. Mercifully enough, Revan had held back, so the Shinigami was merely critically wounded instead of cut in two.

Yumichika cried out seeing his friend so grievously wounded. Kurosaki lowered his blade and glared at the Shinigami.

"Answer couple of questions and I'll let you treat your friend. Or we may spar while he expires. I'm fine with either." The feminine Shinigami briefly glared. There were warring emotions visible on his face. Concern for his friend won and the Shinigami complied, sheathing his Zanpakuto.

"Where is Rukia Kuchiki?" Ichigo ordered, lacing his words with a suggestion backed by the Force.

Ayasegawa looked at him sadly for a moment.

"She should be at Sixth Division's holding cells." The seated officer answered.

Ikkaku coughed a glob of blood when he tried to speak. There was another cough before he could form the words. "She is on death row. What have you got to do with such a..." He was interrupted by a silver blade pointing between his eyes, accompanied by monstrous killing intent.

"Choose your next words carefully Shinigami, for they may be your last!" Revan hissed with barely restrained anger… No one dared speak of his wife in such a tone.

Madarame gulped. The killing intent he was subjected to could rival even Kenpachi's.

"Sorry. She's such a fine lady..." The bald man stuttered in a sudden attack of common sense.

Behind his mask Ichigo smirked, his anger slowly dissipating. "Do you even know what her crime is?" He asked. They both shook their heads in denial.

"She gave me her powers, so I could save my family from a Hollow. She was wounded at the time! If she didn't do it we all would have died." The Substitute Shinigami glared at them. "Is your government so prideful that it prefers a Shinigami to die instead of temporally giving her powers to one of the living?" Kurosaki scowled at the duo.

The wounded men were left speechless. Ichigo deactivated his lightsaber and left, melting in the midnight shadows. Yumichika knelt over his wounded friend, trying to stop the blood loss.

"They can't execute her just for that, right? There must be more to it..." Madarame muttered.

"How the hell should I know?! Stay still, you're a mess."

 **=KoSS=**

The Fourth was a bust. At least infiltrating it was a child's play so Ichigo didn't lose much time. Once inside all he needed to do was to find one of the night nurses in the hospital and use the good old mind trick on her. According to the woman, Ukitake was released the previous day and was resting at his Division. Ichigo slipped out unnoticed and headed to the Thirteenth. The possible help of a Captain would be invaluable.

Ichigo wondered if the security of Seireitei really sucked or all the little underhanded tricks shown him by Mission, from his time as Revan were that good. To be fair it was probably combination of the two. Soul Society security was focused on detecting Reiatsu, which outside of combat or using Shunpo, wasn't an issue for the Substitute. His control had become instinctive. Being able to turn literally invisible, by shrouding himself with the Force helped too.

(AN: A bunch of barley trained teens were able to cause chaos for days with minimal opposition and without being caught. For someone with even a part of Revan's training infiltrating Seireitei should be a walk in the park.)

It was during the hours before sunrise, when Kurosaki found himself in front of captain Ukitake bedroom door. He silently opened it and entered only to find an emaciated, white haired man. The Captain had problems breathing, each gulp of air he took in his lungs was accompanied by wet, rasping sounds. Ichigo closed his eyes, becoming one with the raging torrents of the Force. The man who was once a Jedi extended his senses to the sick man.

He could see Ukitake in the Force. The insides of the Captain were raked by countless scars. Ichigo could see the cause too. The disease was an ugly black mass, centered into the man's' lungs, with oily dark tendrils spreading through his entire body.

Fucking tuberculosis! And If Urahara could be trusted, Ukitake had carried it for centuries. That explained the extensive scaring which Kurosaki could perceive - the disease had devoured the captain's tissues countless times only for the flesh to be healed, but it was for naught with the cause of his illness left untouched. Ichigo wondered when the Shinigami healers last compared notes with the doctors in the living world. Tuberculosis had been treatable for decades. His opinion of Seireitei's medics' competence took a sharp nosedive. After finishing the check up and deciding that he'll be able to help the man, a sly smile adorned his face.

"Captain." Ichigo said loud enough to awake the sleeping man.

Jūshirō stood up abruptly. His sleep laden eyes immediately started scanning his bedroom for the intruder and rapidly focused on Ichigo. The Shinigami was about to said something, when a vicious coughing fit forced him to double over, making him struggle for breath. For a moment, Ukitake was almost defenseless. Instead of attacking, the as the Captain expected, Ichigo knelt next to the breathless man, muttering about incompetent doctors.

"Stay still!" Kurosaki commanded, using his Revan voice. He placed a palm on Ukitake's chest.

Jushiro's coughing subdued and the man obviously started to feel better. He was slowly beginning to breathe easier as well, the wet, rasping noises slowly vanishing. The Captain was probably surprised too, by not only being healed, but by it being done without the use of Reiatsu.

"Thanks."Jūshirō was able to mutter as his breathing stabilized. "I don't want to seem ungrateful, but I believe that an explanation of your actions is in order." Ukitake inquired.

"Rukia Kuchiki." Ichigo stated, while most of his attention was concentrated on the task at hand. He could sense the effect those two words had on the man. He didn't notice the tender, caring way he said the name, nor he was aware of the soft smile tugging his lips.

"Despite my best efforts, Central 46, haven't changed their decision." The Captain lowered his head in shame.

"The last time, a Shinigami gave his powers to a human his punishment was six months prison." Ichigo stated. He sensed the Captain's surprise. For a moment Ichigo thought that it was because he knew of that, but it quickly became obvious that the much older man had been unaware of the fact.

"I've been checking for a similar cases in the library but was unable to find anything. Where did you find that?"

"Kisuke Urahara." Ichigo grumbled the name of the exile, making the man he was healing even more curious. "It is strange, isn't it? The way your government decided to treat one of its own." Kurosaki asked. "What will you do if they don't bulge?"

The captain was silent for a long moment.

"I'll do what I have to." He finally said, looking Ichigo in the eyes. An unspoken agreement passed between them.

"Good enough. Its nice to know that I'm not wasting my time right now." Ichigo declared in a jovial tone, grinning under his mask. "Let's fix you up first. This may hurt a bit. I am Ichigo Kurosaki, by the way. But you can call me Revan these days."

Ichigo gathered more force in the palms of his hands, making them shimmer like a mirage and pressed them on Ukitake's chest. He was destroying the disease in the captains tissues, while simultaneously jump starting his immune system.

Hours later, Ichigo smiled with satisfaction.

"All done! You will be tired for couple of days but after that, you should regain your strength rather rapidly." With that declaration, Ichigo's eyes rolled and he passed out utterly exhausted, causing Ukitake to shake his head in amusement.

The Captain called his third seats, Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki, ordering them to stash Ichigo in one of the division spare rooms and make sure he is undisturbed. At that moment a Hell butterfly came in with summons for a Gotei 13 meeting. Jūshirō stood up and took a deep breath. The air had never tasted so sweet.

He headed for 1st Division Headquarters, while thinking what to say to his friend Shunsui Kyōraku. There was a smile on Jushiro's face that never left it until he was in the presence of his fellow Captains. He was healthy once again and now that he was no longer crippled by his sickness, Ukitake could do much more to protect Rukia. He was determined to find what the hell was happening with that damn death sentence and woe to those who stood on his way.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **=KoSS=**

 **Noon**

 **1st Division HQ**

 **Seireitei**

Jūshirō Ukitake was the last one to arrive at the meeting, his presence causing a more than a few raised eyebrows and a smile from his old friend Shunsui. Apparently Gin has fought with Ichigo yesterday and "left" him to escape. To add insult to injury, Gin had been missing until now.

"Orange haired young man, you say?" Ukitake asked before the meeting could erupt into an utter chaos.

Gin nodded, wearing proudly his signature creepy smile.

"Wasn't there a mention of an orange haired boy at Rukia's trial?" Jūshirō looked at Byakuya, who's right eye twitched at his question.

That was a sore subject indeed. Time to twist the knife.

"Kuchiki-san, I was left with the impression that the mortal who stole Rukia's power was dispatched by you at the time of her arrest. Yet, a Ryoka with the same description is loose within Seireitei. That's highly irregular." Jūshirō's next question was delivered with a neutral tone, while his face was a mask showing mild interest in the subject. "Yamamoto-dono, it recently came to my attention, that in the last case similar to that of my subordinate, the sentence was six months in prison." He declared with conviction. Ichigo have had a copy of said documents, given to him by Urahara. How the ex captain had gotten his hands on them was a mystery.

The captain commander's eyes widened a little for a split second.

"It is irrelevant. Central 46 current decision stands." His answer however was discouraging.

That little exchange produced interesting results. Shunsui was serious for once, paying close attention on the reaction of his fellow captains. Zaraki and the resident mad scientist didn't seem to care. No surprise there.

Suì-Fēng was looking at Jūshirō with interest, her mind obviously considering and discarding various scenarios, which could have explained the strange events connected with Rukia's trial.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya was scowling and muttering under his nose about troublesome old people.

Byakuya, was glaring at Ukitake, displeased of the position in which he found himself. On other hand - Aizen, Kaname Tosen and Komamura, thanks of his helmet, had unreadable expressions on their faces, while Gin's smile had gotten wider. The Captain of the fourth was looking at the chronically sick Ukitake with the creepy smile reserved for patients ignoring her orders.

He winced at that. She'll want to talk with him soon. His miraculous recovery would lead to some pointed questions from Retsu. That wasn't a conversation he was going to enjoy.

The captain-commander hit the floor with his wood encased Zanpakuto, getting their attention.

"Silence! As far as Rukia Kuchiki is concerned, Central 46 has moved her execution date. It is in seven days." He glared forestalling any further discussions.

"Gin Ichimaru..." The captain commander was interrupted by loud explosion.

All of them could feel the shield protecting Seireitei failing locally. The rhythmic drumming of alarms echoed over Soul Society.

"Go to your divisions and organize the defenses! I want the Ryoka found! This Revan is to be engaged only by Lieutenants and Captains, the rest should flee on sight!" Captain commander Yamamoto cursed silently. He was getting too old for this shit.

 **=KoSS=**

Shortly before the meeting started, Renji was busy leading a heavy guard escorting Rukia to the Senzaikyū. On their way there, they passed in full view of the execution ground and the Sōkyoku.

"So that is Seireitei's justice." The Kuchiki heiress hissed in resentment. While there was a large part of her that actually believed that she might deserve to die, it wasn't because of her sentence. The suffering she had caused to Ichigo, the way she had failed Kaien… Rukia glanced at her hands. She could almost see the blood with which they were tainted.

Once she entered her new cell, her senses were dulled by the Reiatsu absorbing stone. When she was securely locked up, most of the guards left, leaving Renji staring at her with a forlorn look. Suddenly, the shield surrounding Seireitei was bathed by golden light. A long bang echoed over Seireitei.

Abarai looked up, astounded to see the defenses being penetrated. Four rods of light shot from a breach in the shield, scattering to the far corners of Seireitei. Seconds later alarms started blaring. With a curse, Renji left for his division barracks.

Rukia looked through the small vertical slit in the wall across the entrance of her new accommodations, acting as a window, wondering what was happening.

"This place is going to hell!" She chuckled darkly. Rukia couldn't help it. There was a small, betrayed part of her, which found wicked satisfaction at every setback Soul Society was facing lately. That same part raged at the mere thought that Central 46 had decided to executed her when she had done nothing really wrong.

That afternoon, the heart of Soul Society, was turned into a madhouse by three teens, one Genju Shiba and a cat.

If he was awake, Ichigo would have laughed his ass off.

 **=KoSS=**

When he returned to his headquarters, Jūshirō had his subordinates assume a largely defensive approach. Most of his Shinigami were tasked with guarding the barracks, while small recon teams were sent out. He wasn't overly concerned for his people. The most powerful of the Ryoka was napping in one of the nearby rooms after all.

On the bright side, his chat with Retsu was postponed, but on the other hand, when Revan awoke, he'll go ballistic when learning about the changed execution date. That was something that nearly drove Ukitake himself into rash actions. As it was, he was barely able to keep his temper in check before the meeting was interrupted.

Ukitake sent his third seat, Kiyone Kotetsu to check if Rukia was moved and if so to find out where. The most likely location was the Shrine of Repentance, but he needed to be sure. With a tired sight, he went to his office to catch up on his paperwork, while his mind was busy making plans. He was sure that he could count on Shunsui's help. However he wondered who else could be trusted.

That evening all hell broke loose. War time protocols were enacted in response of the assassination of captain Aizen, which was followed by a short skirmish between captains Ichimaru and Hitsugaya. That debacle ended with Aizen's lieutenant Hinamori in a coma. The Ryoka were blamed for the assassination, especially Revan. After checking if Ichigo had been sleep-killing captains, Ukitake called few people for a meeting in his office.

Seireitei was going to hell in a hand basket.

First to arrive was Retsu, who didn't waste any time and started examining his health. Ukitake wisely did not protest. He was quieter than a mouse who had stumbled in the midst of a cat convention. The Captain of the Fourth gave him a sweet smile, which caused him to sweat profusely.

"There is no sight of the disease. Who and how healed you?" she asked. He gulped and smiled nervously.

"Would you believe if I said it was a miracle?" the white haired man tried to evade.

The answering stare made him shiver in apprehension.

"A recent acquaintance of mine. You'll meet him later today." He relented. Damn, she was terrifying woman.

Luckily, Ukitake was saved by the timely arrival of his old friend Sunishi and the petite captain of the Special Forces. While quiet greetings were exchanged, Jūshirō breathed a sigh of relief.

Kyōraku looked at his friend noticing with satisfaction that he was healthy.

"I see that you've helped Jushiro." He smiled at Captain Unohana.

"He is free of the disease." Retsu said in a dry voice. That prompted a cheer by Shunsui and light nod by Suì-Fēng. "It wasn't my doing." Retsu added leading to confusion.

"It is his fault!" Ukitake grinned and pointed to the door behind them:

he joked good-naturedly.

There, leaning on the wall in his combat robes but lacking the mask was Ichigo, who was studying the trio with interest. Suì-Fēng acted without stopping to think. With a graceful motion, she drew her Zanpakuto and appeared next to Kurosaki, blade posed at his throat. Ichigo raised his hands in mock surrender.

Shunsui looked at the orange haired youngster.

"You wouldn't help Aizen's murderer, would you? So what gives?" Sunishi asked his old friend.

Ukitake became serious as well.

"He spent the afternoon sleeping over there." the white haired captain pointed to the wall behind him and added, "Exhausted after healing me."

Retsu smiled at Revan with a gleam in her eyes. Kurosaki felt like a mice who had gained the attention of hungry tiger. A sudden chill rand down his spine and he gulped nervously.

"Captain Unohana, you were the one to examine Aizen's body, right?" Ichigo crushed his rising terror and asked.

She nodded and narrowed her eyes.

"Did you perhaps found the body lacking?" Ichigo continued his line of thought. "Do you have a way to determine if it was a clone or artificial in any way?"

"It's just a feeling though. Despite examining it multiple times I couldn't find anything amiss. While I do feel it's somehow off, I can't prove it." She slowly nodded.

"Well, it won't be the first time when someone faced his own death." Ichigo shrugged careful, not to slice his neck on the blade pressed to it

"Captain Suì-Fēng, please remove your weapon." Ichigo said and grinned adding, "We wouldn't want your hand to slip. It will make quite a mess in Captain Ukitake's office."

She glared at him but removed her blade with a huff, still staying taunt, ready to attack.

"Do you believe in coincidences?" Ichigo asked, surprising them with the sudden change of topic.

"Rukia sentencing, the rescue attempt in progress, Aizen's suspicious 'murder'..."

Suì-Fēng caught on first. She was Seireitei special forces commander for a reason.

"Distractions!" She spat.

Ichigo nodded. Revan had done similar things a lot of times.

"The question is who, beside Aizen and what is the point of this?" Kurosaki asked. He didn't add that the man could actually be dead and that his body might feel off because of the way he was murdered. Rescuing Rukia was higher on his agenda than untangling this mystery.

"My, my Aizen..." Shunsui thought aloud. "Did he know that you'd come to rescue her? If so how?"

"He's been your comrade in arms for a long time. You should be answering those questions." Ichigo shrugged.

The Eight Squad's Captain nodded.

"What do you intend to do now?" Retsu cleared her throat and addressed the Substitute Shinigami.

"Rescue Rukia of course. Than I can start seeking a way to get Seireitei off our backs." Ichigo scoffed. What did they think he was there for? Fix their other problems? He wouldn't be doing that unless there was something in for him. Not after the stunts the Shinigami as a whole had pulled.

"Good we need to find a way to revoke the sentence. Simply breaking her out of prison won't be enough." Jūshirō stated.

The Captains nodded in agreement. Ukitake took a deep breath.

"We'll investigate Aizen's actions and try to figure his endgame. He didn't pull this stunt without good reason. You go and rescue your girlfriend. She is in the Senzaikyū, the big white tower in the inner courtyard."

"I'll arrange someone from my squad to meet you. He will give you a detailed map of the sewer network. Through there you should be able to reach the inner grounds unnoticed." Unohana added.

Kurosaki thanked her, while privately wondering why the kriff he had to travel through sewers again.

Then Ukitake decided to bite the bullet.

"Revan, there is something you must know. The execution date has been moved to the next week. In seven days to be precise."

The four Captains received a thorough education on Huttese curses in the next couple of minutes.

After that, they managed to convince Ichigo to rest until the morning. That had two main purposes, to let Kurosaki's friends confuse things further and give time to Suì-Fēng for some creative arrangements in the search patterns of her division, leaving him a window of opportunity to reach the Shrine with minimal resistance.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Next morning****

 ** **Seireitei inner courtyard****

Last night, one Hanatarō Yamada, a kind nervous kid, came to visit Ichigo, bringing him the promised map. As it turned out, Hanatarō, was the one who tended to Rukia during her stay at her brother's Division prison cells.

What he told about her condition enraged Ichigo. By the Force! It wasn't her fault. He had accepted her powers on his free will. Most of his suffering afterward has been caused by his rashness and pigheadedness more than anything else. It had taken him a long time to fall asleep last night.

After a last minute consultation with Jūshirō, Ichigo had left and moved through the sewers, meeting no resistance. So here he was, in the Seireitei's inner sanctum, just a few hundred meters from the stairs leading to the damned tower where Rukia was held. Initially he had intended to sneak up to Rukia's location, however that plan went out of the airlock when he found a certain red headed bastard in his way, blocking the best covert way up. That was Renji Abarai, who according to Hanataro's story, had caused a lot of grief to Rukia. 'Stealth be damned!' Ichigo thought and went towards his adversary.

Renji sensed a massive killing intent heading his way. He turned to the left and looked at an approaching dark figure. Black armored robes and a mask. That was more than enough for him to recognize Ichigo.

"Remember, me you bastard?" The lieutenant spat.

"How can I forget? I owe you a debt of pain!" Ichigo answered in a tone, colder than the abyss between the stars.

The two men walked towards each other, a small square being their chosen battlefield.

"It's commendable that you survived." Renji said, in a grave tone. "I promised I'll kill the bastard that stole Rukia's power! And here you are!"

"You are the Huttspawn who brought her here to die!" Ichigo growled and charged, delivering two-handed blow with his lightsaber. Their blades clashed and Renji was thrown back by the impact.

Abarai recovered fast unsealed his Shikai.

"Hoero Zabimaru!" Renji's soul cutter changed into a segmented sword, each part having an ice pick like protrusions on the front and back. Now the Zanpakuto was more like a serrated whip, than a sword.

"When we fought in the human world, I had a limiter, as all lieutenant class and above! I'm five times stronger here!" The lieutenant boasted:

"You talk too much!" Ichigo deadpanned, channeling the Force into telekinetic wave, which sent Renji through the wall of a nearby building.

Kurosaki formed a sphere of energy in the palm of his free hand. It was twisting and expanding by gathering spirit particles from the air.

Ichigo was improvising, combining the Force with Reiatsu for his next attack. He sent the ball of energy at the building in which Renji had landed. It went through the hole, which Abarai had made and exploded with the force of a thermal detonator.

The building simply blew appart. If Renji was human, this would have been the end, with the shock-wave destroying his body. Instead he avoided the brunt of the attack by using Shunpo to get away.

Renji appeared in the square, covered with dust. He attacked, using his Zanpakuto as a whip. Ichigo jumped in the air, avoiding the hit, which left a deep gorge in the cobblestones. Kurosaki was floating a meter above the ground using Reiatsu to stay in the air.

"Rise, Divine Night!" Ichigo said, mentally adding 'Let's kick his ass partner.'

A pillar of red and black Reiatsu later, Renji was facing a dual wielding opponent. Ichigo had his sabers crossed, sparks flying from the touching blades. They clashed again, each exchange of strikes pushing Renji back. The Lieutenant's attacks were pretty strong but predictable, making the precognitive abilities granted to Ichigo by his connection with the Force almost redundant. He was able to read the Lieutenant's attack patterns easy thanks to all the experience he had inherited from Revan.

Kurosaki used his left blade to stagger Zabimaru while it was folding after finishing an attack sequence. This permitted Ichigo to entered Renji's guard. The Force Adept delivered a devastating kick between the Shinigami's legs. The lieutenant fell to his knees whimpering, clutching his family jewels. In Kurosaki's mind-scape, his Zanpakuto spirit was howling with laughter.

 _'"hat wasn't his ass."_ _S_ he managed to say, before dissolving into a giggling mess.

Ichigo tried to pierce Renji's left shoulder, while the lieutenant was incapacitated, but the Shinigami managed to roll aside in the last moment, the blade only cutting his sleeve. While rolling, the redheaded man grabbed the hilt of his sword and swept the weapon at Kurosaki's legs. The armored man jumped over the strike. Still in midair, Ichigo threw his right lightsaber at his opponent. This time Renji was unable to react and the black blade grazed his left arm.

Renji groaned in pain and went on the offensive, hoping that now he had an advantage despite his wound. His Zanpakuto howled forward, aimed at Ichigo's chest.

It did not connect.

A wide eyed Abarai watched in morbid fascination how his blade was stopped in mid-swing by invisible barrier. Ichigo was mixing the Force with Reiatsu again, this time erecting a shield between himself and Renji. Kurosaki could be seen stretching his right arm forward, his hand raised upward. And that was apparently sufficient for Abarai's attack to be stopped harmlessly centimeters from Ichigo's fingers. While Renji was still gawking, the Force user, summoned his saber and acted. He crossed his blades, catching Zabimaru between them.

Ichigo channeled the Force through his right lightsaber and Reiatsu with the left, the energies mixing at the place where the three swords met. They glowed with blinding light as Ichigo concentrated the energy in a single point of Zabimaru, right between two of its segments.

The unstable mix of two different energies exploded like a shaped charge, shattering Renji's Zanpakuto. The backslash of the energy release manifested in a jet of plasma, splashing over Abarai's torso. It left a deep smoking ruin in its wake.

The Lieutenant fell backwards and hit the ground coughing blood. His unnatural Shinigami resilience was the only thing that kept him alive when struck by plasma hot enough to melt a cruisers armor.

Ichigo deactivated his weapons and went to his fallen opponent.

"It's not me you truly hate. You wish to be the one to save her. The one you despise is the man whose image you see in the mirror every morning. The Shinigami, who brought Rukia to Seireitei so she could be imprisoned and executed. The one who doesn't have the guts to save his precious childhood friend." Revan hissed, before leaving the gravely wounded man and running to the Senzaikyū.

"When I heal, I'll take your test." Renji muttered to his Zanpakuto before darkness claimed him.

A black cat watched the battle from nearby rooftop. When Kurosaki, disappeared up the stairs, the feline jumped down and went to the wounded man. In a puff of smoke, the cat transformed into a stunning, purple haired woman. Yoruichi knelt next to Abarai, took out a med pack and started tending his wounds.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. How interesting young man you turned out to me."

 **=KoSS=**

Halfway to the shrine, Ichigo was stopped in his tracks. There was a pink haired little girl on his shoulder. He never sensed the kid coming.

"Kenny! I found him!" Kurosaki jumped in the air, when the she screamed in his ear.

Ohh boy! This did not paint a pretty picture. Ichigo knew of only one Shinigami, who could be addressed this way, by the girl. The bundle of energy sitting on his shoulder, was dead giveaway too, when he thought about it.

"Kenpachi's. Kriffing. Zaraki!" Kurosaki groaned.

"Kenny", who turned out to be a two meters tall giant, lumbered in sight. He jet had black hair, turned into spikes which formed a halo around his head, with honest to god bells on the tip of each one! "What the hell is wrong with those Shinigami?!" Ichigo thought aloud. During his Dark Lord days, his craziest Sith were looking great by comparison.

Kurosaki could feel the Force whispering to him when he examined Kenpachi's. through her lens.

" _A battle hungry maniac. Blood thirsty. Just as you where Revan, but far more unstable."_ Divine Night spoke eagerly.

"Child, you should go." Ichigo told the pink haired girl on his shoulder.

Kenpachi's. grinned. He could sense no fear. Good, sharp Reiatsu to boot. Yachiru, jumped off Ichigo and disappeared, after telling Zaraki to have fun. Kenpachi's. propped his serrated Zanpakuto on his right shoulder. Ichigo drew his weapon and entered his favorite Diem Jo stance.

"Fine stance!" Kenpachi's. complemented and continued, " A few possible openings. Nice spiritual power too. I can see why Madarame lost."

"You aren't an opponent, I can hold back against." Ichigo said, and declared, "Arise, Divine Midnight!"

Ichigo steeled himself. He had fought to kill only while facing Ichimaru. Now he would have to do so again. He narrowed his eyes at the Captain and stepped deep within the Force.

Sensing Kurosaki's intention, Kenpachi's. laughed aloud.

"That's what I'm talking about!" The madman roared and charged.

They met in the middle of the stairwell, swords crashing with tremendous force. A shock-wave was created by the impact and shattered all nearby windows. Ichigo was channeling so much of the Force in his blades that they were shrouded by unholy light. Kurosaki swung a mighty strike which met Kenpachi's blade. The energy enveloping Revan's lightsabers, was not stopped by the enemy Zanpakuto, merely blunted. It continued on and slammed in Zaraki. A pillar of Force energy struck the bloodthirsty Captain, decimating his clothing above the waist and causing few shallow cuts on his chest.

"Splendid!" The maniac roared. "Give me more!" He shouted and went on the attack, swinging wildly.

They clashed again and again, neither giving ground. Soon the aftershocks of their strikes obliterated the ground under their feet, making a meter deep crater. The combatants didn't notice, too intent to kill each other. Every strike was parried, yet they were bleeding, struck by Reiatsu or Force aftershocks. Both of them were covered with lacerations, blood flowing freely, yet the grins of pure joy never left their faces. For five minutes, they stood their ground, weaving a tapestry of steel and energy, painting it with ample qualities of blood.

The combatants were exchanging strikes furiously, creating tremors and shaking the nearby buildings. They were in the eye of a steel storm, the flow of combat balanced on a knife edge.

It simply couldn't last. One more moment of twisting steel, and the stalemate was broken. Ichigo parried a strike that would have eviscerated him, and counterattacked, slashing at Kenpachi's head with his other blade. It connected, giving Zaraki a matching scar on the right side of the face, destroying his eye patch in the process.

That was a deadly mistake. A torrent of yellow Reiatsu engulfed them, forcing Ichigo on one knee. The Captain looked disappointed.

"Is that all?" The Captain asked.

Ichigo gritted his teeth, flared his spiritual power and stood up.

"Better!" The lunatic grinned. His Zanpakuto slashed horizontally faster than before. Kurosaki's lightsaber was battered away, crimson line opening on his stomach. His counter attack merely left a light burn on Kenpachi's bare chest.

From here on, the duel went downhill, for the ex Sith. His guard couldn't stop Kenpachi's doubled strength. He fell back, receiving wound after wound. Suddenly, his back hit a wall. In the next moment, Ichigo was impaled to it by Zaraki's blade.

"I hoped for better fight." The Captain grumbled. He retrieved his sword, opening Ichigo's chest.

Kurosaki slumped quietly to the ground. His eyelids felt heavy as if made of lead.

"Is this how it ends?" He rasped, blood drops coloring his breath. As his eyes were closing for one final time, he was yanked into his inner world.

 **=KoSS=**

It was different. Another place altogether. A familiar corpse filled battlefield. The same one where he lost his wife.

"Aint you full of shit!" A distorted voice warbled.

The air before Ichigo shimmered, a mirage gaining substance. He beheld a white copy of himself. Kurosaki's brown eyes locked with black orbs, divided by yellow darkness sprinkled slitted irises. Revan noted in recognition. It was his hollow version, the being he became when he lost Rukia and died in despair.

Ichigo froze at that thought. It wasn't his.

"That was pathetic, King!" The Hollow chastised him. In a buzz of Sonido, the Doppelganger grabbed Kurosaki and smashed him in the ground, towering over him.

"WE! CAN'T! SAVE! THE QUEEN! THIS! WAY!" With every word, he picked up Ichigo and smashed him in the ground. Then the Hollow threw him away in exasperation.

"King! You have to get your head out of your ass! Your Zanpakuto is dulled by fear! You don't use the Force to her full potential, much less us! Even as fucked up as you are, you held your own, until you gave in to your fear." At that Ichigo raised his head becoming angry.

"I threw everything I have against that bastard!" Kurosaki shouted "He just laughed and kept coming! I couldn't really hurt him at the end!"

"Everything? Everything, you say?! You don't remember your vow. We have a pact! And you will uphold your part of the bargain, even if I have to take over!"

The Hollow drew a lightsaber and activated it. The blade was a shade of white, the color of a hollow's mask. It morphed, becoming solid, shining with an energy field which enveloped it.

"If you are too weak and surrender to despair, I'll take control and take Rukia!" The Hollow declared.

He pointed the blade at Ichigo, channeled a crimson Cero, through it and launched it at the King. Kurosaki jumped out of the way, the shock wave of the explosion sending him into the burning wreck of Mandalorian Basilik droid. He bounced off the armor plating, just to be shot down by a Bala, while falling down. The sound of Sonido, was all the warning Ichigo got followed by a sadistic kick in the spine. Kurosaki could feel his bones cracking. The Hollow appeared in front of him and kicked him again, this time sending him through a nearby boulder. The Doppelganger went to a stunned Ichigo and placed hand on his forehead.

"Will you accept that?!" He screamed, showing Ichigo a vision of ho Revan's wife died. "Will you let her die again? This time there won't be another reincarnation. No second chances. She. Will. Be. GONE! FOREVER!" The Hollow roared and slammed his blade into Ichigo's chest, in the same spot where Kenpachi skewered him.

Kurosaki stayed stunned for a long moment, his mind refusing to comprehend what he just saw again. His mind didn't register the pain of the blade sheathed in his chest.

All he could see, think about was Rukia. The woman who was his wife's reincarnation, gone. Erased from existence for all time.

More pieces fell in place. It was like floodgates shattering under the pressure of a tsunami.

He could remember. Everything.

Boundless, terrible furry engulfed him and for the first time, Revan looked from behind Ichigo's eyes. He roared, releasing all the pain and suffering accumulated during his both lives, in an unintelligible, bloodcurdling howl.

Midnight black Reiatsu engulfed Revan. It was joined by the Dark Side, her corrupting energy cracking around him. His robes morphed into mandalorian designed armor forged from living shadows and covered by cloak of darkness. Ichigo's lightsaber blade changed into that of a katana, extending from the cylindrical hilt. Kurosaki's eyes met the sight of his hollow and he nodded in understanding.

Ichigo, the son of Kurosaki Isshin had to accept Darth Revan as a part of himself. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Revan finally awoke and became a part of the teen.

This deceptively simple act reformed the Substitute Shinigami into the warrior general who had brought the Mandalorian clans and the Republic to their knees. Latter he fought the Sith Empire to a standstill until that fateful battle when Rukia died.

It was that simple. Ichigo just had to accept who he was now. Not only intellectually, which had happened soon after exiting the shattered shaft, but emotionally.

Deep down, the youth he was, could not accept the part of his being that had bathed in the blood of billions. And that was a critical part of who Revan was. He knew that now. He could remember it. He knew how and why Revan became the man who he was.

In a hindsight, it was a good thing that the Hollow forced him to do so, because Ichigo doubted that he would have done it under different circumstances.

Kneeling before Ichigo was his Hollow. It had changed. He looked older, in his late thirties instead of being the exact copy of Ichigo. The hollow who was wearing armor similar to Revan's, but forged of silver battle steel.

"You finally know who you are, King." The Hollow said. "Let's see if you're up to the task."

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Though you can call me Revan too." He smirked. "I've never had the inclination to be King of anything."

"Meh. I'll call you either Kind, if you deserve it, or that kriffing idiot."

"Your sense of humor can use an improvement." Kurosaki scoffed.

The hollow laughed madly before his expression grew serious.

"Who are you, King? A Jedi, a Sith, A Shinigami?"

"A general without an army." Ichigo's eyes became cold as he continued speaking. "The butcher of Malachor V. A kriffing, murderous bastard. A husband to murdered wife, who somehow got another chance and I won't let it go to waste no matter what I would have to do." There was steel in his voice, unshakable conviction and terrible promise.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 6**

 **=KoSS=**

 **Inner Courtyard**

 **Seireitei**

Revan smiled thinly at the brutish Captain in front of him. The General held his Zanpakuto in a one handed dueling stance. His free hand was cracking with energy. Ichigo waved his left arm at Zaraki. A ripple in the air marked the only obvious effect of his attack.

Kenpachi stumbled mid-step, his movement suddenly slowing down. The giant of a man felt as if he was in a pit full of quicksand, the stuff sticking to his frame and making him sluggish. Ichigo wasted no time in exploiting the advantage he created, moving like water, around his slowed down opponent. Kurosaki delivered a series of slashes, opening angry red lines in the muscles of the giant man. Instead of faltering because of the wounds, Kenpachi smiled like the madman he was and roared in joy.

"This is it! Show me more!" Zaraki dispelled the energy slowing him down by spiking his Reiatsu even further and simply blowing it away.

His swings became wilder, harder to predict. The lunatic caught Ichigo's blade with a hand coated by a thick film of yellow Reiatsu. Despite that protection, the Zanpakuto bit deep in the palm of the Captain's hand, scraping at the bones. Kenpachi retaliated, aiming his sword at Kurosaki's left shoulder. Revan was surprised by the actions of this madman, reacting a split second too late. The General managed to create partially formed barrier of Reiatsu and the Force, which prevented the attack from killing him outright. The Zanpakuto still bit deeply in Ichigo's shoulder. Revan was unperturbed at the wound. He left his sword, still embedded into the Shinigami's arm and took a step forward, while Zaraki's blade was biting even deeper into his flesh. Ichigo placed the palm of his right hand on Kenpachi's stomach. Midnight black strands of energy were weaved into perfect sphere by Revan.

"CERO!" The former Dark Lord of the Sith shouted a single word.

An explosion of darkness separated the opponents, throwing them in opposite directions. The sudden motion widened Kurosaki's wound, but at least it tore away the offending Zanpakuto. The General's right hand was a charred ruin, bones protruding through burned out flesh.

Despite that, he was the lucky one. Zaraki had a gaping hole in his guts showing many of his organs ruptured and cooked by the searing heat. Both opponent's forms were left where the explosion threw them, blessed unconsciousness claiming them.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Rukia's cell****

It was a fine day. Cloudless, with the sun shining brightly, yet its rays were merely warming pleasantly instead of scorching with their heat. A light wind was bringing fresh air from far away mountains. If her circumstances were different, Rukia would have enjoyed the great weather immensely.

Instead, she was cooped in a death roll cell, wallowing in pity. Her her dreams had intensified in the last couple of days, leaving her chronically restless. The Kuchiki heiress was wondering if she was going insane because the whispers she heard in her head beside Sode no Shirayuki. If one had an active imagination, then he would be able almost see a bunch of storm clouds, gathering over her and soaking her with despair.

Suddenly she bolted upright, her eyes centering on a specific point of the floor. Her gaze was so intent as if the reishi rock was transparent and she saw beyond it. Rukia could feel the change, the whispers cooing in confirmation. For a moment her world stayed still and then she felt a gentle wave of energy washing over her body. It was making her nerves tingling with excitement. She had never felt more alive. Rukia was bathed by a calm current, the energy slowly entering her body, reinvigorating her. The feeling was made much more potent, because of her current situation being surrounded by Reiatsu countering material and thus cutting her from passively replenishing her other power or even using it.

Her new-found joy was interrupted by sharp pain in her left shoulder. It was as if a jagged blade had bit deeply in her flesh. Rukia hissed in pain wondering what was happening. She could feel a new sense unfolding, following the all encompassing stream. She could sense a blazing ribbon of energy, connecting her through this strange new power to a man, whose mind was a mental fortress. It was as if she was watching his actions from somewhere outside his body.

He was wounded, it was his pain she felt throbbing in her shoulder. Rukia could sense a torrent of dark hollow-like energy, gathering in the man's right hand. There was the sensation of release and her arm exploded in searing pain, like it was submerged in a vat of molten metal. She screamed, the agony overloading her nervous system. Rukia fell to the ground with her mind still plunged into this strange connection.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Shared Inner world**

When the pain lessened to a dull ache, Rukia found herself in a room full with dozens sparkling fountains. This beautiful place was familiar, bringing comfort to the distraught Shinigami. She knew this room, as if she had spent many hours relaxing by listening to the calming bubble of the water.

"This was my favorite place in the temple." A familiar voice startled her. "Your's too when I think about it."

Rukia whirled around to face its owner. Ichigo was walking towards her, dressed in black robes. His form was streaking between the fountains producing a sense of deja vu... As if she had seen him in this room many times, wearing a similar outfit.

She ran to him, desperate to see if he was all right.

"Ichigo!" She exclaimed in relieved voice. He looked fine, unharmed. Both his right arm and shoulder were hale.

The relief was soon replaced by anger.

"It was foolish to come here! I told you not to follow me!" She shouted at him, her voice thick with emotion.

"Ah." Revan's smile was extinguished. This was not shaping to be the reunion he was hoping for. He knew in his mind that this Rukia, while she *was* his deceased wife soul, had none of the memories of their previous lives. Yet that fact did not help him feel heartbroken at knowing she did not remember him. That she didn't care for him him as something more than a friend.

"You have to run back to the living world!" Rukia continued in a frantic voice.

Ichigo placed an index finger on her soft lips silencing her. He waved at the room, saying:

"Do you remember this place? The last time we were here, the room of a Thousand Fountains was a battlefield." He waved around as he spoke.

Rukia opened her mouth to say no, when she could feel a blazing light pulsing through the connection in this strange new energy field. For a moment, the Kuchiki heiress wondered how she managed to forget something so significant. Then she had a revelation, it was in the way the bond felt, natural, a part of her that has always been there, just as any other sense. You do not need a conscious effort to hear or feel a touch. But now, when she was aware of the connection once again, Rukia could see it blazing, a starlit bridge, connecting her with Ichigo. The bond pulsed as if alive and plunged them in a vivid dream of the past.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Flashback****

 ** **Jedi Temple****

 ** **Coruscant****

She was coordinating the last ditch defense of the Jedi Temple. The Sith assault had caught them by surprise. Dozens of Jedi died in the first minutes of the attack.

She was using the Force to heal a severely wounded Padawan, who had run afoul of one of the Empire's bounty hunters. The young Togruta, had been shot twice with powerful blaster, surviving so far only by the will of the Force. The Jedi Master smiled to the hurt boy, hiding her desperation well. She could hear the fighting coming near, the Jedi and what few republic troopers were left falling back before the Sith onslaught.

There were no reinforcements coming. The Empire had struck with overwhelming numbers, sending five full fleets to this campaign. Coruscant system defense forces were being slowly ground to nothing, pinned against the planet by most of the enemy capital ships. This still left scores of cruisers and hundreds of troop transports free, eleven of which were descending over the Senate building and the Temple. They were preceded by waves of bombers, gunships and assault shuttles. The few units of the Republic army which were close enough to reinforce the two strategic buildings were unable to do so.

The soldiers were busy dying, overran by swarms of Sith.

She looked around the room, in which the major part of surviving Jedi still on Coruscant were about to make their last stand against the darkness. This should have been a place of reflection and spiritual healing.

Instead the room of Thousand Fountains was made into improvised triage center and was about to become a battlefield. The building shuddered, the loud crashes of assault shuttles delivering more enemies echoing through the Temple.

It won't be long now. The Jedi Master did what she could for her patient and made her way to one of the doors, lightsaber in hand. She silently thanked the Force, that her husband was off world, commanding the campaign in the Corellian sector. With Revan surviving the inevitable fall of the Capital, the loss of Coruscant would not be the death blow for the Republic, which the Sith were hoping for.

The Jedi ran out of time. A solid wall of war-droids, followed by a phalanx of energy shield equipped storm-troopers, crashed into the barricades blocking the entrances to the room.

She found herself in front of commando squad. The veteran Republic soldiers were pouring a torrent of blaster fire from their assault cannons. They were reaping swaths of the enemy troopers and droids, yet it was not enough. Never enough.

The robots were expended as "living" shields, allowing the storm-troopers to come in close. The Commandos couldn't take down the enemy soldiers fast enough. There were simply too many of them. The Republic troopers claimed four Sith soldiers for every one of them who fell, but the enemy had the bodies to spare.

Soon Rukia, who had been telekinetically slamming objects at unlucky enemies and deflecting blaster bolts was alone at the door. The Sith had overran the outer barricades over a mountains of their dead.

Now they were able to fan out in the vast room and use their superior numbers to greater effect. Jedi and Republic soldiers alike were pushed back into an ever shrinking perimeter. Groups of Sith warriors were appearing behind the storm-troopers. Their crimson blades were thirsting for Jedi blood. The new enemies were taking positions, ready for the final assault.

A hail of blaster bolts paved the way and was followed by charging Sith Warriors. The Jedi Master threw away a squad of Sith Troopers, their bodies hitting a nearby fountain's marble walls. They died with the sound of shattering bones.

She deflected a long burst of fire, returning it to the senders. Her victory was short lived however as four Sith Warriors choose her as their next target. She was forced to fall back by a solid wall of plasma blades and their wielders who were charging her.

Series of deafening explosions shook the Jedi Temple, their sound overlapping to create a continuous crescendo. Another round of tremors followed as even more assault shuttles were blasting their way through the building's walls.

The Sith advance faltered, their combat network filling with warning messages. Suddenly the Sith onslaught abated. Most of them were falling back to defensive positions. The Jedi Master breathed a sigh of relief. She could feel a shift in the Force. The sense of impending doom and encompassed darkness that had been a constant companion ever since the Sith attack on Coruscant began, lessened. She felt like the universe was taking a deep breath as if waiting to see what was going to happen next.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Republic Cruiser "Victorious"**

 **Seventh Fleet Flagship**

The fate of a galaxy rested on the shoulders of a single man. Revan's shoulders.

 _Again._

He was flanked by two old friends. On his left was the Grand Admiral of the Republic, Carth Onasi. The years were kind to the old soldier. His face was the same the Force Adept remembered from their escapades on Tarsis and beyond, if with a bit more worry lines. The flag officer's short, gray hair was giving him a distinguished look.

Onasi was wearing a deep frown, wondering whether Revan has finally lost his mind or if the former Dark Lord of the Sith was an evil genius.

To the right of the general, clad in gun-metal colored armor, was the current Mandalore – Canderous Ordo, who despite his advanced age was still one of the fiercest warriors in the galaxy. The grizzled old warhorse had reformed his people after the end of the Jedi Civil war. He had gathered the scattered clans, ending their raiding days and reforming them in a new nation. In the two decades since that war, they were on the ascension, becoming a power to be reckoned with in their sector of the galaxy.

"What will it be, Revan?" Asked the Mandalorian Warlord.

The Force Adept's sight was locked on the holoprojector, watching the battle playing out. He had sufficient forces to save the besieged Coruscant defense fleet, but that would mean the fleets with which he had just jumped in system would be decimated. And they would have to flee afterward anyway. Revan knew that Sith High Command had placed absolute priority on this operation, with two more fleet racing through hyperspace to reinforce the Sith armada already in system.

The Emperor and his cronies were hoping for a political knockout blow, which would buy them time to consolidate the captured territories and rebuild their forces. That was something that Revan couldn't allow. He cursed, sadness evident in his eyes. It was time for another one of those decisions, the ones because of which he was known to many as a cold-heated butcher.

"Carth, order the Coruscant fleet to reform in formation Gamma-one-three. It will buy them few more minutes. Mandalore, I need you to lead the relief strike to the Senate. Save whoever is left and evacuate. We can't hold the planet and I won't waste any more lives than necessary. Our fleets will attack the Sith formations here and here." Revan pointed at the two enemy forces that had bypassed the system defense fleet and were directly attacking the capital worlds fortifications. They consisted mainly of transports and planetary assault cruisers with relatively few dedicated capital ships and their lighter escorts. Ichigo planned to overwhelm them fast with the superior numbers and fire power of his three fleets. He had to thank the Force for the Sith's impatience.

The Empire had attacked a couple of centuries before Revan thought them to be fully prepared to take on the whole galaxy. That had cost the Republic in the early years of the war, but it had its silver lining. If the Sith kept their original timetable, they might have been able to take apart the Republic. Who knew how it would have fared after two more centuries?

Instead they acted now, when the Republic was exhausted by the wars, yet they were far from ready for such a conflict too. It was a risky gamble, unfortunately one that was apparently paying off.

The only reason the Republic wasn't dying right now was because he was leading three fleets consisting of Star Forge built ships.

Right now he had nearly three thousand ships of all classes (not counting fighters, bombers and shuttles) ready for action. It was a force with which Revan could decide the outcome of the war if he played his cards right. At this very moment, both sides had committed their reserves in battles across a thousand systems. The Republic was holding in most strategic locations, bleeding the Sith who were attacking in the teeth of prepared defenses.

The general was content to let them have the Capital, for he was ready to turn the masterstroke of the Sith high command in a strategic defeat they could not hope to recover from.

Thousands of light ships and transports were busy delivering millions of mines on the hyperspace routes leading to the planed considered by many the center of the galaxy. He had gathered those vessels by cutting to the bone the defense forces of hundreds nonessential worlds, leaving them defenseless while their governments screaming bloody murder. The Sith leadership would know in hours at best, but it would be all too late. The two Reinforcing Sith fleets were already passed the point of no return, too deep behind enemy lines. With mine-layers busy behind them, cutting them off. All that remained was to achieve his objective here and leave before the last hyperspace lane leading out of this sector of space was sealed. He planned to take a large chunk of the Sith Fleets out of the war until they could travel out of the sector, which would take weeks with the hyperspace lanes being unavailable to them. In that time he planned to win the war.

Carth looked at the holographic representation of the system defense fleet.

'Those poor bastards...' The admiral thought.

"Carth, I'm leaving the space battle to you. Deal with those two forces and commence long range bombardment on the forward elements of those assault fleets. We have about eighty minutes of free reign before we have to pull out. Whoever is not aboard our ships by then will have to look after themselves."

"I'll deal with it. May the Force be with you." The admiral said with a grim voice.

"And with you, old friend." Revan nodded to Carth and left.

Onasi hated the plan. It left hundreds of thousands of his fellow soldiers to die, not to mention that the most important Core Sector would be at the nonexistent mercy of the Sith. However, he was aware of the strategic situation. The Republic was tired of the wars and the time was nearing when the whole house of cards could tear itself apart from the inside. That was something the fucking Sith were counting on.

Revan's plan was the best chance the Republic had not only for its continuing existence, but to actually win the war in one fell swoop.

"Good luck!" Canderous said and left the bridge on Revan's heels.

They were running to the docks, where assault shuttles were preparing for lift off. Meanwhile a division of experimental dreadnoughts, armed with ion cannons, took position and started blasting at the Sith Cruisers which had made planet-fall and were providing close air support to their ground forces.

Division after division of republic cruisers, arranged in formations maximizing the number of ships which could bear their guns on the enemy, fell upon the two Sith fleets which were supporting the ground invasion. Red turbolaser bolts clashed like an avalanche on the straining shields. Two hundred and fifty one wings of Republic fighters clashed with the pathetic CSP (combat space patrol), which the enemy fleet had. Thankfully most of their fighters and bombers were planet side, supporting the invasion.

The duel between the small craft ended in minutes, with the Sith ones being blown out of the sky. Fighters and bombers swarmed over the Sith fleets, supported by waves of missiles and proton torpedoes launched by the Republic heavy ships. The local advantage of the Republic forces was too great to withstand for long. Reinforcements from the Assault fleets engaged with the system defense forces were ten minutes from effective range and that turned to be three minutes too late. In just seven minutes, the cream of the Sith ground forces were decimated, eighty percent of them snuffed out of existence on board of their transports or blown away in the assault shuttles while trying to make planet-fall.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Jedi Temple****

 ** **Coruscant****

There were less than a hundred Jedi and Republic soldiers still standing when Revan and his reinforcements disgorged from their Assault Shuttles. Squads of Republic Special Forces and Mandalorinan heavy troopers marched through the halls of the Temple, eradicating any and all resistance in their path.

They were led by a man in black armored robes, with a silver bladed lightsaber in his right hand. Revan was clearing the path of the troopers he was leading with torrents of lightning, frying the imperial soldiers unfortunate enough to stand between him and his wife. A Sith warrior met the general, crimson and silver blades dancing in a shower of sparks. The Sith was promptly flanked by Republic soldiers and shot to pieces, while his blade and force powers were neutralized by Revan.

The Force Adept jumped over the smoking corpse and continued forward, the few Sith standing in his way dying without slowing him down. Soon, he reached a barricaded stairway, its dura-steel door welded shut. He cut a circular hole in it and used the Force to dislodge the assorted furniture used as a makeshift barricade which was blocking his path. Revan made his way down, emerging into the room of Thousand fountains.

He cursed seeing what was left from the heart of the Jedi order. Nineteen Jedi were still on their feet, half of them Padawans. Yet they were standing proud and protecting two dozen republic commandos by deflecting Sith blaster bolts. The knights were led by his wife, who looked like a warrior goddess of old.

She was fine.

Revan sighed in relief. During the last few days the Force was so turbulent that he couldn't say for sure how his wife and Bastia were faring, despite the strong Force bonds he had with the two women.

The soldiers "escorting" the general promptly went forward, lessening the pressure on their comrades. Revan made his way to his wife, taking position to her right, his blade weaving an impregnable barrier.

"You are late! Our guests are just dying to meet you." His wife deadpanned, glancing at him with a hint of a smile on her full lips.

"You know, being late is all the rage nowadays!" Revan joked in kind. Nothing like a bit of humor to keep you sane on the battlefield.

 **=KoSS=**

High above the husband and wife, the Coruscant defense fleet died well. Outnumbered, outgunned and caught by surprise, they fought like lions! Keeping in formation despite mounting losses, the be-leagued Republic ships had rallied around two defensive platforms. It took nine hours of constant combat for the Sith to win. The Coruscant fleet managed to drag a fifth of their enemies to hell with them.

It was a great tactical victory for the Empire, made bitter by the loss of the ninety percent of ground forces. However painful, it was a survivable blow, deemed acceptable for the control of the Republic's capital.

What followed was not. Revan's gambit was successful. The minefields kept the five Sith fleets in the Coruscant Sector for nearly a month before they could reach a free hyperspace lane.

With those ships out of the war, Revan used with his secret fleets to execute a counter offensive against many critical Empire shipyards, crippling or outright destroying many of them. These surgical strikes weighted the balance heavily in the Republic's favor.

Thanks to that, the fracture within the Republic that the Sith expected after the fall of Coruscant never happened. The war was posed to continue for years to come, yet the balance had finally shifted firmly to the Republic's side.

 ** **Flashback end****

 ** **=KoSS=****

 ** **Shared Mind scape****

Rukia's legs felt weak as the vision ended. She would have crashed to the ground if not for Ichigo's hands steadying her. In all her years as a Shinigami, she never saw such vicious combat. The sheer scale of war she witnessed was mind-blowing.

The Kuchiki heiress didn't want to think about the casualties and destruction caused by that conflict. It was simply unthinkable, with constant battles on thousands of planets across the galaxy, a volume difficult to truly comprehend for people who did not possess the means to travel across the stars. Then it hit her, the woman in the vision was the one from her dreams. And Ichigo…

He smiled gently and nodded.

"Let me introduce myself properly. Ichigo Kurosaki. I was once know as Revan and I'm quite content to use that name again. I'm glad to make you an acquaintance, my fair Lady!" He exclaimed with a bow. The declaration earned him a small fist to the top of his head and an order from indignant Rukia.

"Explain from the beginning! Now!"

"In the beginning there was the Force…" Ichigo was interrupted by growling which would have made a small tigress proud. Yup, he still could get a rise out of her! "Fine! No sense of humor left..." Revan managed to catch her fist before she bonked him over the head for second time. He tried again. "After I had that unpleasant misunderstanding with your brother and that pineapple headed imbecile, I lost my Shinigami powers. Our not too friendly mad scientist threw me into something called the Shattered Shaft. There my reincarnation kicked in high gear and I started remembering bits and pieces. Got my connection with the Force restored too. However, if you ask me how we ended with the souls and my case full package from people in the Republic I have no idea. Hell, I'm not even sure if the Republic exists in this dimension."

Rukia listened to the explanation with raised eyebrow. Considering her dreams it made some twisted kind of sense. Or she had gone insane.

"You are aware that I might have your wife's soul but I am not her, right?" Rukia asked concerned. The last things they needed was Ichigo with even more delusions.

"Yeah, I know." He said quietly.

Rukia could see the pain in his eyes at the confirmation, as if he had just admitted the truth to himself. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently in support.

"I'm sorry." She muttered.

"Nonsense. You have nothing to apologize for."

They stayed that way for some time, deep in thought, never noticing how the room they were in started to vanish. Rukia felt a pulling sensation and blinked in surprise.

She was back in her cell, just awakening. Was that another dream? Rukia decided to test it.

She concentrated and searched for the bond. It took her mere moments to locate it. She felt that Ichigo had awakened too, which threw their minds back in the real world.

Rukia studied the bond for a few minutes, marveling at how it felt. It was like something she didn't know she had missed before, making her feel special, complete. She shook those thoughts to the side and focused her attention on the energy that made the bond. She could feel it around and within her.

Rukia motioned at an empty jug of water which was on the other side of the room. The new energy, this Force was singing through her veins, enveloping her whole world. The jug slowly lifted and tumbling through the air made its way to her outstretched hand. She grabbed the object, her eyes widening in wonder.

Outside was already close to midnight.

 **=KoSS=**

 **The Same time**

 **Hidden Training Ground**

Ichigo awoke, looking around wildly. He found himself placed in a hot spring, the bubbling water soothing his crippled hand. He saw a purple haired woman, whose skin had the color of cocoa with milk, chatting with Retsu. He sat up groaning.

"Ladies, I hope you didn't take advantage of me." He smiled, letting some of Revan out to play.

The purple haired woman smirked at him.

"Tsk, tsk. Would we do that?" She struck a sexy pose and battled her eyelashes at him.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow unperturbed.

"Who can resist to that?" he waved at his body while smirking. "Very nice view, Yoruichi. I'm glad to see the real you, all of you." Ichigo smirked. "If you decide to continuing with this show I'll appreciate it. I'm a red blooded male after all. I hope we haven't irritated Captain Unohana. We haven't right?" Kurosaki asked with concern written all over his face.

Yoruichi chuckled and slipped back into the water in a single sensual motion, which would have caused a cardiac arrest to weak hearted man. She joining him in his corner of the pond, her exquisite form glided next to him. He didn't even bat an eyebrow at the sight. She had a body to die for, that was true. However Revan had seen many women who rivaled her. That was on of the benefits of being a Sith Lord… at least until his wife caught up to him.

At any rate, he hadn't been celibate.

Revan smirked at the thought. No, he hadn't been a model Jedi or Sith for that matter. He looked at the naked woman who was soaking next to him and smiled. Her antics had succeeded in preventing him from falling victim to his gloomy thoughts.

He had acted as an arrogant Padawan and got his ass handed to himself. The Reiatsu used in this world and the people wielding it were formidable, in many cases much more powerful than the most Jedi and Sith that he knew of. The main reason for his success so far was his enormous spiritual pressure and the surprise his Force powers were. And when he failed to leverage them properly...

Ichigo looked at his maimed hand. That Hollow power, the "Cero", was an act of desperation. Against Zaraki, Revan had reached his limit at the moment and was found waning.

"Yoruichi, when my hand heals I need you to train me in the Shinigami arts. Please." He asked.

She was just about to say something, her lips were stretched in a small mischievous smile. The shape-shifting woman was taken aback at the request. She was intending to suggest the same thing but was afraid that after the prowess Ichigo had shown, he'd refuse. Whatever they were, his powers were amazing. But still, he had not faced the true strength of Seireitei. Kenpachi had been playing with Kurosaki, testing him and deciding if he could be a great future sparring buddy. If Zaraki was serious from the beginning... Not to mention that the captain of the Eleventh was the only one to achieve such a rank without having even a Shikai. The man was a monster with only a fraction of his potential power unlocked so far. She trembled at the thought of Zaraki with a Shikai or god forbid Bankai…

The point was that while he was one of the most dangerous Shinigami as far as raw power was concerned, most other Captains would have been even worse opponents for Ichigo.

She looked at the teen, noticing weariness in his eyes. The type she had seen in veterans who had fought too hard for too long. He was nearing his limits. She smiled softly and gave him a gentle nod.

"Yes I will. And with Retsu's help your hand will be as good as new in no time."

"That is true. However, Kurosaki-san, it will better if in the future you refrain from making such a mess from yourself." The captain of the fourth interjected with her face adorned by one of her creepy smiles.

Ichigo was nodding frantically at that. There was something in that woman that gave even Revan a pause.

Yoruichi giggled at the display.

"Oh, Retsu, you still got it!"

Ichigo drifted in a healing trance with her laughter chiming in his ears.

Next morning he had regained the use of his hand thanks to combination of the hot springs restorative properties, Captain Unohana's skills and his Force healing techniques. He had ended explaining her how healing through the Force works for half the night. To her eternal regret, Retsu had turned out to be blind to the Force and unable to put that knowledge to good use.

That day and night, Ichigo was trained by the purple haired fury in Hakudo, Kido and Shunpo. To her pleasant surprise, Ichigo's Mandalorian based close combat style had held well against her greater speed and experience. Revan had shown a surprising proficiency for Kido spells and was determined to find ways of enchanting them with the Force. That however would have to wait for another time. Messing with the Shinigami spells while still learning was a bad idea, something both teacher and student agreed wholeheartedly.

As far as the Shunpo was concerned, Ichigo had excelled. That was the one field in which he progressed furthest. Yoruichi needed to show him few of the tricks and then he had ran with it, adding the Force speed techniques to the mix. Still, when using pure Shunpo he was not amongst the fastest. His body needed much more training to keep with such speeds without tearing itself apart with prolonged use.

They had talked about Bankai training but agreed that even with her short cut, Rukia may not have three more days that would be needed, so that was left for when the girl was rescued.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Senzaikyū****

 ** **Seireitei****

Early the next morning, hours before sunrise, Ichigo could be found near Rukia's prison. Her cell was near the top of the white tower, with a stone bridge leading to its door. The path was blocked by two captains - Byakuya Kuchiki and Sajin Komamura. They had a squad of rank and file Shinigami for color too. Ichigo looked over his target, his senses geared to maximum. He could feel his friends fighting a pair of Captains in the distance. That was what prompted him to cut his training short and head straight for Rukia.

The silver lining was Chad was against Kyoraku so he was not worried for his friends life. Ishida an Inuoe however were dealing with a man from whom, Revan could sense cruelty and madness. He could sense the Quincy weakening too. He cursed and vanished, leaving Rukia rescue for later.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Interlude: Hueco Mundo****

A purple haired girl was sitting on a high dune in the desert, looking lost. She knew that this place of endless white sand was not her home, yet she could not remember where or what it was. She gave up on trying to jog her memories. Her blue eyes were looking around, hoping to find something interesting. She was idly drawing lines in the sand, trying to combat the boredom.

That was achieved when something crashed in one of the countless dunes behind her. The impact sent a plume of dust and sand in the air. The sound of the strike echoed through the night. The woman perked up and jumped to her feet. Finally something happened! She ran to the cloud of dust and looked curiously around.

The young woman found what had caused the commotion, the twisted broken form of a bear like Hollow. It was covered with cuts, its white pelt was singed and tuffs of fur were missing. A buzzing sound announced the arrival of a newcomer. He was a man in white Hakama, with light blue hair. His eyes were the same color but also had green marking under them. He had a feral look to him, which was only enhanced by the bone mask fragment on the right side of his face. He looked at her smaller form and sniffed at her. According to his nose, she had the sweet enticing smell of another big cat mixed with something wild and unknown.

There was the stench of wolf upon her too.

"What do we have here, woman?" he asked.

"I was bored." She muttered and continued to examine him. "I came to see if this would prove to be interesting." She waved at the messed up bear.

"You know what they say, about curiosity and little kittens..." The stranger smirked.

"You are not the one to talk about cats." She huffed giving him a pointed look.

He looked at her with critical eyes and smiled madly.

"You say you wanted some excitement to deal with boredom? So do I! I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! You should know the name of the man who is going to kick you pretty ass!"

"Men!" The woman sniffed derisively.

She heard the buzzing sound again and Grimmjow was in front of her, his right fist flying at her face. The young woman turned her head to the left. The fist passed a hear breadth from her cheek. She retaliated the old fashioned way, her right knee impacted between the blue haired man's legs with enough strength to lift him off the ground. Jaegerjaquez eyes became wide as saucers and small whimper slipped through his clenched teeth.

"That's it! I'll kill ya!" He hissed like an infuriated cat.

Grimmjow pounced at the offending woman. They became a whirlwind of punches and kicks. The nameless female was forced to fall back under the furious strength of the madman even if they appeared to be evenly matched in speed and strength. One in four of his attacks were slipping through her guard, leaving her battered and bruised. She had just blocked an elbow strike at her face, when Grimmjow, in a display of even greater speed turned his body to the side and delivered a kick in her gut. She flew, thrown off her feet and ended half imbedded in a dune.

That really pissed her off. She extracted herself from the white sands and snarled at the infuriating man. Her eyes had become yellow vertical slits. She stomped with her right leg and a shock-wave blew a line in the sand, heading straight at the charging blue haired man. He jumped over it and walked right into a purple Cero.

He deflected the attack with the back of his left hand, the beam of energy reflecting from his Hierro and blowing up a nearby sand hill.

"I'm an Espada! You'll need much more to deal with me!" Grimmjow shouted with excitement. This woman had spunk!

He jumped at her and threw her back after they exchanged a flurry of blows. She spat a mouthful of blood from a bitten tongue and snarled a warning, animalistic sound. Electricity covered her hands as the infuriating man dashed at her again. He was met by a torrent of purple lightning.

His Hierro turned out to be of no use against this attack which danced all over his skin. Grimmjow howled in pain as the electric storm picked up his body and threw him away as a broken toy. He found himself in a twitching, smoking heap. While his "steel skin" was still intact, he could feel the damage the attack had caused to his insides.

Luckily they were already healing. He stood up and drew Pantera. Jaegerjaquez moved leaving swirling sand in his wake.

He appeared behind the woman, who was panting on her knees. Their eyes meet, azure orbs looking at deep blue pools. His sword arched forward, turning in the last moment to strike her on the head with the flat of the blade.

The hit never landed. A sphere of invisible power emanated from her form and threw him back. Another lighting blast struck Grimmjow, dazing him for a moment.

Then the female was upon him, her fists slamming into his face.

"Kick my ass, will you?" The female hissed at him.

Grimmjow grinned and grabbed her hands before shifting them so he was above her. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. She stiffened for a moment, then growled and bit his lower lip, before hungrily kissing him back.

All thoughts of seeking another recruit for Aizen's army vanished from his mind when the woman rolled them both until she was straddling him in a rather delicious way.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 7**

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Near the stairs leading to the Shishinrō****

 ** **Seireitei****

Ichigo looked over a scene of devastation. The pavement which used to cover a long street, one that was leading to the centre of Soul Society, was torn asunder. It was like a giant blade had cleaved the middle of the road and shattered the nearby buildings sending pieces of masonry in all directions. He could also sense the lingering traces of a paralyzing poison clinging like a miasma to a lot of the debris. The only living thing in the vicinity of the battlefield was about hundred meters downwards from Kurosaki's current position. He flashed to it and found a battered young woman lying on her side.

She was barely conscious and not entirely coherent but in no danger of dying any time soon. It was the simplest thing for the ex Jedi to stretch through the Force and touch the woman's consciousness. For a brief moment he glided over an ocean of confused thoughts and then his psychic probe penetrated the weakened natural defenses the female had around her mind. In a kaleidoscope of distorted images he experienced the battle between the captain of the 12th Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Ishida. The Quincy had won against one of the most powerful Soul Reapers in Seireitei but he had paid the price in full. From what the woman - Nemu, had witnessed Uryū had fought valiantly only to end little more than a mobile corpse able to move only thanks to a technique of his. The silver lining was that Orihime had listened to Ishida and ran away. Even Ichigo could not sense any immediate danger for the bubbly girl, though that wasn't a hundred percent guarantee that she would be all right.

The same was something that culdn't be said about the caped avenger. Kurosaki felt a pull in the Force and bolted up the hill. The Force user had the premonition that Ishida was about to run into another Captain.

"The pooe bastard can't get a break." Revan groaned.

Seconds later he appeared over the Quincy who was lying unconscious at the entrance of a small courtyard. On the other side of the open space was a dark skinned man with purple hair. He was wearing white, transparent goggles over his sightless eyes. That was Kaname Tōsen one of Aizen's most likely co-conspirators. If not for the insensate body of the Quincy that would have been a perfect opportunity for the general. 'Well, improvisation it is. Again...' he thought.

 **=KoSS=**

Kaname stared at the newcomer. He could see the Spirit Power enveloping the man which was like a cloak billowing in a hurricane winds. The Reiatsu of the Ryoka was gray in color with tendrils of light and darkness dancing in its fringes.

That was something he had never seen.

The aura of the man was peaceful yet he could almost smell the stench of blood from thousand battlefields on his new opponent. 'So that's Ichigo Kurosaki. Aizen couldn't be more wrong about this so called "boy".' Kaname felt it in his bones. This was no mere teen to be evaluated for possible potential, neither an amusing experiment. In a moment of revelation Tōsen felt that he knew what he was facing and that was anathema as far as his chosen path was concerned.

"You are one of Aizen's little minions I take it? Be a good Shinigami and tell me what is your master planning. Why you betrayed your comrades anyway?"

A subtle suggestion through the Force, it was long shot really, but Revan had nothing to lose by it. This was unlikely to end peacedully anyway.

"My eyes can only see one path and that is the path with the least amount of bloodshed. I want the strength to help me create peace. And that is something only Aizen-sama can grant me. It is not enough to believe in justice in this wretched world. So I will become Justice. I will seek out the evils in this world and wipe them out like the clouds in the sky. I swear I will purge Seireitei... for Justice. "

Well that worked better that expected. Score one for the Shinigami's tendency to gloat and rant during combat. Ichigo smirked. His amusement was brief. The tone with which the Captain was speaking and the way he felt through the Force... It was infuriating. Just like the old Jedi council on Coruscant at the beginning of the Mandalorian wars and the worst of his Sith when he fell.

"Funny... Every time I hear something like that people are dying... For the 'greater good', 'least amount of bloodshed' or because not all angles of the situation are considered... Do you know what's best? The people using those slogans are never the one who are expected to do the dying. It is easy to play the saint with pure spirit when you live in heaven."

Revan glared at the blind man and fought a tide of memories which tried to flash to the front of his mind. He knew it was not precisely fair to the man to compare him with the Jedi Council and later the Chancellor of the Republic but he felt similar - a fanatic blind to anything beside his point of view. As well as a dangerous one at that.

 **=KoSS=**

Kaname gripped the orange hilt of his zanpakuto and drew it.

"Nake." The Shinigami muttered the release command of his Shikai.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow when a wave of high - pitched sound slammed into him and drifted over the light Force based shield he was maintaining. It was a technique to protect oneself against sound assault. He had created it after Malak betrayed him in answer to the ridiculous amount of sound based weapons and grenades he had to face on Manaan. By the time he led the assault to recapture the secret Republic base on the ocean floor he had perfected the skill making it a passive defense which he was maintaining unconsciously all the time he was awake. Who would have thought that it would be useful against a Shinigami?

Kurosaki flash stepped in front of his new opponent. The hum of his activated lightsaber was the only warning Kaname received before a silver blade nearly took off his left arm. Ichigo held his weapon in one handed duelist stance similar to a style of lightsaber combat that would be made infamous in another dimension by a man called Count Dooku.

Ichigo entangled Kaname's blade with his own while gathering dark wisps of Force in his left hand. He made a pushing motion with his palm and a twitching, almost alive ball of dark tentacles, only visible to one attuned to the Force impacted the captain's chest. Kaname spasmed and stumbled. Only reflexes honed for over a century gave him a chance when a blade made from silver light headed to his neck. Tosen parried the attack, which despite being no stronger than the previous he had faced, almost tore his Zanpakuto out of his arms.

He coughed a glob of blood and hastily stepped back. The Shinigami could barely sense a foreign energy coursing through his being which was weakening him like the insidious disease it emulated. With a wordless scream he enveloped himself into a pillar of Reiatsu in attempt to purge or at least keep at bay whatever Kurosaki had done to him. The small strands of Dark Side energy poisoning him were drowned by the spiritual power, giving relief to the panting Shinigami. For a brief moment Kaname knew how Ukutake had felt on a bad day with his disease. In the short amount of time the captain needed to deal with that attack Ichigo streaked at him.

Their swords met and the Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto was turned to the side. Revan spun in place and the back of his left armored glove impacted Tosen's left temple. The power of the strike sent the Captain stumbling to the ground. Kaname's goggles flew from his face, dislodged by the impact. Before he hit the ground Tousen sent a Byakurai (Pale Lightning), without incantation at Ichigo. The blue beam of electricity hit Revan's lightsaber. The lightning bolt cracked quietly and danced harmlessly over the energy blade. While it did not hurt Kurosaki the counter attack gave Tousen enough time to recover.

"Bakudo 9 Geki (Strike)!" Kaname shouted another Kido without incantation. Ichigo was engulfed by red light and paralyzed for a moment. The General cursed silently in huttese.

"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō (Cricket 2nd Movement: Crimson Flying Locusts)!" The Captain's Zanpakuto vibrated and he moved it in a semicircle with Ichigo in the center of it. It looked as if a trail was drawn in the air. Split second later it turned into hundreds of blades which hurled themselves at the Substitute Shinigami.

"Enkosen (Arc Shield)!" Ichigo managed to hiss the name of a Bakudo spell.

The blades hit with the force of a broadside and shattered the ground where Kurosaki was staying, still paralyzed.

Kaname's "sight" was obscured by the explosion of Reiatsu made by his own attack.

"And so it ends Ichigo Kurosaki. You shall not move me from the path I've chosen."

"You'll need more than that. I've faced much worse." The general said quietly.

The dust cleared revealing Ichigo who was holding a long black katana, which blade was made by energy that seemingly absorbed the light around it. He was clad in the distinctive form of dark colored mandalorian armor which was dented in places where slowed down blades had impacted him. In front of Revan, the shattered pieces of the bakudo shield were dissolving into glowing moths of reishi.

Despite his nonchalant outwards attitude, Ichigo's was pissed off. That attack had come too close to hurting him seriously. The General knew that he needed more time to be truly ready for the realities of Soul Reaper combat. Unfortunately, time was the one resources he lacked.

"I see." Kaname deadpanned. "Let's finish this charade. Bankai."

Tosen held up his Zanpakuto and placed his left palm against the ring on its cross guard. It began spinning madly and releasing an even increasing quantities of spiritual energy. It grew bigger and bigger until it surrounded the shinigami. It split in ten equal rings which circled Tosen. With a slash of the blade, Kaname scattered them. They promptly formed a perimeter around a large area. A black void split from them as if the circles were portals to another realm. It spewed black tendrils of energy into a dark dome which swallowed the combatants.

Ichigo was plunged into darkness. An endless void which made his senses of sight, scent and Reiatsu useless.

"Even if you try to guess my position from where I attack, you will not be able to catch me. No matter how experienced a fighter is, after he is stripped of light, he can't help but fear the darkness. No matter how slight that fear is, the fighter's movements will be slowed down." Kaname explained. His voice was coming from everywhere, making impossible to locate him that way.

A light chuckle answered him. It transformed in full-blown laughter which sounded sinister as if twisted by the surrounding darkness itself.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **The same time****

 ** **Rukia's Cell****

If the circumstances were somewhat different, Ichigo's brush with the Dark side wouldn't have had such unexpected consequences. He should have been able to shield his bond with Rukia from the darkness.

There was only a slight problem. In the heat of battle, the thought didn't occur to him. The part of his personality that was Revan and was very much in control, simply knew that she could deal with it... and that was a grave mistake.

Rukia simply didn't have the time and memories needed to rebuild the mental shields that once protected her mind. To make things worse, the imprisoned woman was a Shinigami. A being for which it was normal to have another sentient spirit, with its own personality in her mind. That was the stick that broke the camel's back.

At the precise moment when Ichigo drank deeply from the sickly sweet ocean of the Dark Side, the Force used his bond with Rukia and acted as a catalyst. In more normal circumstances, Rukia might have lived the rest of her life as the person who was born and raised in this dimension, despite some memories of a previous life surfacing now and then. Her connection with the Force would have been a simple boon.

Such would have been the natural course of her fate.

After all, for Revan to be trully reincarnated and merge with Ichigo, it took a perfcet storm when Kurosaki was on the threshold between lofe and death. It was highly unlikely that the same exact circumstances would repeat so Rukia could merge with the Jedi Master she was once upon a time.

The Force had other ideas. While incorporeal it was a living, sentient thing.

In this reality the Force was a newborn being. For all its power it was vulnerable, fragile. There were only a handful people alive or death that had the potential to channel it. They were its link to this cluster of dimensions. Its lifeline.

It needed more of them in order to be saver. To continue developing. What it did, it wasn't some grand plan or cunning scheme. It was the stumbling of a being who was alive and wanted to ensure that such a state of affair won't be ended any time soon. It needed another primary conduit to spread its influence around so it could eventually bound with everything within this universe.

Rukia, who for various reasons was almost out of Spiritual Power and did posses a sould uniquely attuned to the Force was chosen. It was a no brainer really. The Force did what it had to do. So it acted.

For Rukia it was as if a supernova exploded into the depths of her mind. The barrier separating the Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki from her past self as a Jedi Master shattered like a thin glass hit by a sledgehammer. For a brief heartbeat she was both of them... and someone else.

There was a torrent of Dark Side energy pouring directly into her very soul through the connection with Ichigo. It hit her like a battering ram, twisting and corrupting everything it touched. It called to all the frustration she felt since being arrested. To her desperation and fear. It ignited her anger at the injustice done to her, stroking it to previously unknown heights... all the while Rukia was remembering about the Jedi Master she used to be.

She saw the memories, made them her own, yet at the same time she was watching them through a corrupted, twisted lens. She was seeing, feeling everything she had experienced in her previous life, but was unable to do anything. Her body was like a puppet controlled by someone else.

Feeling powerles while her mind relived another life, it drove her fury even further.

Rukia felt the touch of the dark incorporeal substance on her skin. She knew that it should have revolted her yet the shadows caressing her were familiar. The mist pulsed in tandem with the river of darkness leaking through the Force bond with Ichigo. It resonated with something which was ages ago buried deep into Rukia's heart. She was able to resist the sweet temptation of the shadows which were boring deep into her very soul for what felt like eternity. Rukia balanced on a blade's edge between light and darkness. Then her heart was gripped by anguish which she had suppressed for far too long...

The Shinigami saw her hands being stained with Kaien's blood. Once again she felt him dying in her arms. She watched the bloody form of Ichigo lying on the ground as she was about to pass through the Senkaimon with her captors.

There was the never voiced resentment at Seireitei for the fate which befell Ichigo because of the government's orders. All that was mixed with self loathing. It was her fault when all was said and done. For a moment she felt the full power of her anger as it turned into unrelented fury. It promised her an end of the pain, of the doubts.

A dragon long forgotten awoke within her heart. And Rukia felt herself failing as wave after wave of Dark side energy poured into her very soul and twisted her mindscape into a dark reflection of itself. The soft snow became black and oily. The ice gripping the frozen lake turned into a dark crystal. Deep below the frosty waters was the bound and unconscious form of Sode no Shirayuki who lacked the Reiatsu to even dream.

"Ahh... We are complete at last." A dark, sensual vocie moaned in delight.

Rukia found strength in the passion of her fury. It gave her power to overcome her fear and achieve victory over all that made her weak. The chains that bound her to Soul Society, to her brother's clan, to the Shinigami, they were broken.

"And the Force shall free me." Rukia whispered. "It's time to leave this sorry excuse for prison. I promised Revan that he'll not have to save me ever again." She muttered and opened her eyes to find herself in her prison cell.

The very thought of being a captive, drove her fury to a boiling point.

A telekinetic wave raced outward from her still form. It slammed into the walls of her cell and the force of the impact cracked the Reiatsu suppressing stone. The door was not so lucky. The invisible energy shattered its hinges and it was ejected as a twisted piece of metal.

 **=KoSS=**

Ichigo, who was cheerfully surfing on the thundering waves of the Force smiled at his opponent.

"All too true. Most people fear the darkness. It terrifies them. Unfortunately for you, I know all about it. It is both my ally and my servant. If this is your Bankai's ability then I am the worst opponent you could have ever faced. "

The Captain frowned and attacked. It was simple. Easy. Just a slash at the arm to put this Ryoka into his place. Ichigo should have been helpless. A black katana met Tosen's Zanpakuto. Kurosaki had moved without hesitation. His head was turned towards Kaname and the shinigami could feel Ichigo's eyes boring into him.

"How?" The captain almost shouted with surprise and jumped back. His features were twisted into a shocked expression.

Tosen could feel the waves of amusement radiating from his opponent. Ichigo's Reiatsu shifted and suddenly it was darker than moonless midnight. No traces of light remained in it. It made the Substitute Shinigami hard to "see" despite both of them litteraly swimmin in Reiatsu within the dome.

"Even as a Jedi this..." Ichigo waved at their new surroundings, "...would not have been a challenge. The Force is sense enough. But you are not that lucky. You, my dear Captain have critical information that I need. So for you I'll have to play another role."

If Kaname possessed sight to see, he could have watched how Ichigo's heavy armor moved like a living thing and transformed into the robes Revan had created with the technology of the Star Forge. His eyes became sickly yellow, a fusion between the colors of a Sith and Hollow.

"So, woe to you, Captain Tosen, for today you face a Sith Lord in a darkness of your own making."

'There are probably few dumber things to do. For example you could cover yourself with gravy and start taunting a hungry rancor.' Revan thought with amusement which was short-lived. He had always hated the sweet, corrupting touch of the Dark side. Its influence was subtle, making it easy to lose oneself in it and become a mindless, corrupted tool. Something he had learned how to avoid long time ago, though he had to fall first.

That's what made him different from almost all the other so called Sith who had come and gone before him and those not yet born. To be fair, such as him were rare. In all the millennia since the ancient schism between the force users, just a few had discovered this secret. He was the a Knight of the Force. Neither Light or Dark. For he was both Jedi and Sith, yet neither. The Light and Dark... those were the two sides of the same coin. By using them as needed, by being either a Jedi or Sith as the situation called, he had found power almost unrivaled.

Kaname's unseeing eyes widened. Another void spilled into the dome. He winced and stepped back. A darkness of a different kind surrounded him and chilled him to the bone. The Captain shuddered. A fine layer of frost started to form on his uniform. He instinctively recoiled as an incorporeal tendril of shadows brushed his right arm, numbing it with unnatural coldness. His face drained of blood as he started hearing unintelligible whispers. Tosen was about to drop out of his Bankai when his blood froze into his veins. He could no longer sense Kurosaki's Reiatsu. There was only the miasma of darkness all around him.

A storm of dark blue, almost black lighting struck the Captain. The command to his Zanpakuto spirit to cease the Bankai remained unfinished. Kaname screamed as he was engulfed by a cage of electricity and lifted in the air by the crackling energy. His sword clattered on the ground, released from spasming fingers. Tosen's clothes and flesh started smoking. The Captain's mind was close to snapping as every nerve ending in his body was overloaded by pain impulses at the same time. In a desperate effort to protect his sanity he collected all the spirit power his wounded body could wield and compressed it as a shield over his body. The assault abated. The lighting arched over the captain and struck the ground below him dealing much less damage.

The storm ended as suddenly as it began. One moment Kaname was suspended in the air - in the next he was on his knees, steadied by a hand grasping his left shoulder. A part of his mind, which was somewhat clearer noticed how Ichigo kicked the Shinigami's zanpakuto away. The sword bounced off the ground and disappeared in the dark. The last thing Tosen saw was the palm of Kurosaki's left hand, which was engulfed by crimson glow. Ichigo placed it on the Captain's forehead and Kaname was plunged into darkness as his mind dissolved into agony unrivaled by anything he had ever immagined in his darkest nightmares.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 8**

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Rukia's Cell****

 ** **Shishinrō****

 ** **Seireitei****

Soul Society's Death row prison was a bit different from its counterparts in the real world. Its main distinguishing feature was that the prisoners could not escape on their own. The Reishi absorbing stone from which the tower was built with made that impossible. For ages, the guard detail had to worry only for the unlikely occurrence of someone trying to break free the prisoners. That was the reason the six men who were guarding Rukia's cell were paying her no attention and had their backs turned to the door of her "guest suite". As far as they were concerned, the Kuchiki heiress was harmless while her powers were neutralized and she was no more dangerous than an ordinary plus soul. Pity they had no concept of how "harmless" a run of the mill fallen Jedi could be.

Unfortunately for them, Rukia wasn't any odd Jedi. She was a Jedi Master.

Koyako Himura was the 10th seat officer of the 1st division. He was the man currently in charge of the guard detail for the entire Shishinrō. Considering that there was only one prisoner in the whole tower, despite her high profile, Himura's job was not what he had expected it to be. Despite the fact that this was deemed a "very important" assignment, after few hours of cooling his heels under the scorching rays of the sun the novelty of his current mission had worn off and he and his five subordinates started cursing their luck.

That was on the first day. By now, the only reason they were somewhat alert of their surroundings was because of the frequent visits of various Captains, who were patrolling in a search for the intruders.

Until a minute ago, Jūshirō Ukitake and Byakuya Kuchiki were in the vicinity of the shrine, which insured that the guards were more attentive than usual. However their attention was focused in the wrong direction. When a wave of power manifested in the cell behind them they were caught off guard. The only one able to react was Himura. He managed to turn around in time to see how the door of the cell was blasted off its hinges. Koyako's youngest subordinate, Asano Meno, a kid who was only a year out of the academy, was the unlucky bastard who became the second Shinigami whose death was caused by Rukia. He happened to be in front of the door when it was turned into an impromptu projectile by a Force wave emanated from their prisoner's body. The twisted piece of reishi struck the guard in the small of his back with a force rivaling a speeding bus. It cracked multiple vertebrae and threw him like a boneless rag doll.

Asano, flew forward and hit the parapet of the bridge leading to the cell hard, shattering his right shoulder. He bounced off the hard stone and fell in the abyss between the shrine and the only hill in Seireitei. The sudden shock and damage caused by the unexpected attack were too much for Meno, who was unable to even scream as he plunged to his death.

Himura froze for a moment. Just like that the kid was snuffed out of existence. A small part of his brain screamed at him that this was impossible. The Kuchiki girl should not have been able to use Reiatsu at all. The fact that he had not felt Spiritual power during this attack had not registered yet. He had no more time to ponder what the hell was happening because he heard a laughter coming from the cell.

 **=KoSS=**

It was glorious. The sense of the cool floor on which she was laying, the light cramping in her muscles, even the stale air she was breathing. She was alive! Rukia smiled and stretched, enjoying the feelings of her muscles moving under her skin. She stood up and laughed in delight when she felt the Force. It was wild, untamed. It was in a state that suited a Sith like her just fine.

"Hi boys!" Rukia exclaimed and turned to the entrance of her temporally residence.

Two men in dirty white, almost gray uniforms entered the room. Their faces were hidden by veils of all things. The only feature visible were their eyes, which were glaring at her lithe form. They were armed with long pole-arms, which had a metal, horns like weapon fitted on the wooden shafts. Dull weapons at that, probably made for subduing prisoners and dealing with crowds.

Rukia's smile became wider and cheerful. It has been a long time since she had real fun in battle. For the Shinigami she used to be, combat was a duty, not something to revel in. She pitied that poor girl... and it had similar for the Jedi Master. Rukia shook his head, regretted all the missed opportunities to cut lose and actually live.

The first pair of guards moved towards her, freeing the entrance for two more to enter. Behind them, their leader was drawing his sword. Their plan was to subdue the prisoner fast, before she could pull another stunt. Probably to extract a pound of flesh for their murdered comrade.

Rukia smiled. She could have easily read their intentions even without the Force. With it, their actions became obvious a moment before they took them.

The two men closest to Rukia slung their weapons and charged her.

The reborn Lady of the Sith made a grasping motion with her hands and her attackers were stopped in their tracks. They were suspended in mid-air and felt like giant fist were squeezing the life out of them. Rukia winked at the unfortunate Shinigami and made a pushing motion with her hands. They were thrown away and hit the walls surrounding the door-frame with enough force to be embedded in the cracked stone, sending pieces of shattered reishi in all directions. Her smile widened as she felt the tingle of fear appearing in the hearts of the remaining men.

"Come on, that can't be all you've got. You are big, bad Shinigami right? Are you scared of a little girl like me?" She taunted.

"Get that bitch!" Himura growled.

His two remaining subordinates charged the mad woman and he moved a step behind them.

"Good!" Rukia smiled and opened herself for the sweet taint of the Dark side. The power that invaded her veins was like a liquid fire which froze as much it burned. It made her shudder in anticipation of more fun.

She sidestepped to the left, positioning herself so that the right most Shinigami acted as a shield between her and the other two. Her left hand shot forward and grabbed the shaft of the pole-arm with which her closest opponent was armed. With the Force coursing through her veins and steeling her muscles, she was powerful enough to hold the man's weapon at bay. He tried to make it a contest of strength, a logical choice on his part as he was a head taller and much broader that the smaller woman. Besides, she should have been drained of Reiatsu after her long imprisonment.

If the man had a bit of time to actually think about the situation instead of simply react, he would have acted differently.

The shock and fear he felt when he was unable to overpower her was sweet ambrosia to Rukia. Electricity cracked in the palm of her right hand. She pointed it at the man's chest. The last thing his terror filed eyes saw was a cracking sphere of energy held at bay by her clawed fingers. A loud crack resounded in the confined cell, nearly deafening the still alive Shinigami. The man whose weapon Rukia was holding never saw the beam of electricity which impaled him and vaporized his heart. There was just a brief flash and sense of heat. His brain was already dead when his blood boiled in his veins. With a wave of her free hand, the Sith discarded her latest victim like a little girl who throws away a doll during a temper tantrum.

She grinned and pointed a finger at the two remaining men. Her hand was holding an arching lightning bolt which in front of their eyes compressed in a long energy blade with the color of blood.

That was a neat little trick that her husband had taught her.

Rukia giggled at their fear and charged. The last man with a pole-arm tried to parry a vertical slash with his weapon but the shaft provided no resistance to the energy blade. It cleaved through the wood as if it was butter and bisected the Shinigami from the top of his head to his belly. Without looking Rukia stepped back and avoided horizontal slash by Koyako.

Homura glared at the woman who just wiped out his squad like they were nothing. What he saw in her yellow eyes made it even worse – there was not a shred of remorse or regret. She enjoyed murdering them. He could feel it in his bones.

Now he was left alone to stop her. He shivered as he looked at her face. That smile gave him the creeps. It was one fit for an apex predator which was bored and wanted to play with its prey.

"What are you?!" Koyako asked. He cursed his voice which was barely a whisper.

"Do you fear me, Shinigami? " Rukia smirked. She entered Makashi stance, moving with an unrivaled grace. The form looked like it was tailor made for her.

"I am many things little man." She whispered, her voice was full of dark promises.

"Yeah you're an insane, murderous, bitch."

"You've got a bit of spunk left!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Besides you've got me pegged. Well, beside the insane part. I prefer alternatively sane."

Oh, yes. Fear mixed with anger and hatred. Oh, my. It was spiced with determination to face her anyway. This one was going to be fun! Rukia moved with a flourish. Her lithe form was supercharged with Force energies. Her blade sang its blood thirsty song and lunged forward aiming for Himura's hart.

At first, Koyako held his ground, deflecting a flurry of light strikes which purpose was to test his abilities. This continued for a few seconds and then suddenly Rukia's speed increased dramatically. He had to fall back to the door, trading ground for few more precious seconds in which the crimson blade was kept away from his flesh. Surprise could be seen in the man's eyes. 'I've been training for too many hours with the lieutenant who uses similar fighting style when in Shikai. I should be able to hold my own for more that few seconds!' The Shinigami thought.

Rukia frowned at her opponent. She hoped for a real challenge. Not this pathetic excuse for a swordsman. 'That won't do at all.' She extended her will over the Force and pulled the unlucky man towards her. Rukia moved a step forward and swatted the flying man's Zanpakuto away so Homura stumbled in a perfect position for her to kneel him in the groin. As Koyako fell to his knees with a moan which left him defenseless. A flash of crimson later Himura's head was separated from his body. With her last kill, Rukia felt a sliver of energy detaching from the decapitated corpse and merging with her being. She grinned cheerfully and cloaked herself with the Force, becoming invisible. She had not enough Reiatsu left in her body to be detected from anything more than few paces so that was not a concern.

The reinforcements who arrived a minute later found only the carnage Rukia left in her wake, with no sign of the escaped prisoner.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Unknown Place****

"Well, that's unexpected." Ichigo looked around with surprise written all over his face. He was about to start tearing into the memories of the disabled captain and then he was here – in the shadows of tall trees on the floor of a forest. It was something which in a dozen or so millennia could become something similar to the Wookies home world. It was only missing the various things that would cheerfully murder and eat you, to make the impression even closer. What was that saying that many of the natives of this world were so fond of? You are not in Kansas anymore?

"You should not be here." A tall woman in dark green kimono, which was decorated with flowers Ichigo did not recognize, appeared from thin air to his right. Her face was hidden by an emerald veil

"So I gather." Revan answered her statement. From what little he knew about a Shinigami's mind-scape, he should not be able to come to this place. Yet here he was – straight in what Ichigo believed to be Tosen's mind. Strike one for the unexpected when merging the Force and Shinigami quirks.

They were interrupted by an almighty crash. The battered form that was Tosen literally fell from the sky. The captain's body broke through a centuries old canopies and impacted the ground with enough force to make a meter deep crater. While watching the spectacle, Ichigo had to use the Force to shield himself and the unnamed woman from a rain of splinters produced by the tree, stones and other small debris thrown from Kaname's impact with the ground.

"That's got to hurt." Ichigo muttered.

"Good." Said the woman.

Revan raised an eyebrow. He could feel no love lost between those two. He walked up to Tosen who was stunned from his crash landing, while keeping an eye on the woman. His forward progress was promptly terminated when a crimson pillar made of lightning struck the unconscious captain and blew away Ichigo and the female. The Force user tumbled through the air few times before managing to stabilize his flight and stop a couple of meter over the ground. He hovered by sub-consciously channeling Reiatsu to the soles of his feet. Revan looked up and winced.

"Oh..."

The sky was being torn asunder by a giant vortex with the color of fresh blood. It looked like a vast storm as you would watch from orbit. Wild lightning bolts were dancing on the edges of the phenomena. They were creating the illusion that the tear in the captain's mind-scape was contained by a net of energy. This however couldn't be farther than the truth. This was only a harbinger of things to come.

Ichigo absent-mindedly admired the effect of which his technique had upon the mind-scape of his victim. Under different circumstances he would have appreciated the opportunity to study the effects of the Mind Rend from such a perspective. While it was great to delve deep into the mysteries of the Force, such pursuits usually required that the immediate area to be free from pissed off Zanpakuto spirits and other distractions. Like the woman in green who Shunpoed behind Ichigo and tried to cut off his head. That was also the first thing to go wrong for him that day. Almost all of the Force power he could channel was concentrated in the Mind Rend, which was shattering Tosen's mind defenses and leaching Kaname's memories. So he was left to rely primary on his Reiatsu against a Captain's Zanpakuto in its own domain. 'Time to put my new training to the test.' Revan thought.

He rolled forward, evading the katana's blade. Reiatsu coated his left hand which glowed as he grabbed fistful of air as it was a tangible substance. This action allowed him to stop his forward momentum and catapult himself at the woman who was charging at him. Kurosaki's right hand had retrieved his lightsaber and the red blade extended from the curved hilt of his weapon. This maneuver surprised the spirit and bought Ichigo an extra half second. He then parried the katana of his newest opponent mid-swing and crashed into the woman. What followed was too fast for even a Jedi or Sith to recall. He fell back on his years of training and left his body move the way it was conditioned to act in such circumstances. A flurry of blows and kicks later they separated.

In the brief encounter, the woman had lost her sword and it was laying on the ground below them. Same was true for Ichigo but an absent minded gesture later, the curved cylinder that was his lightsaber flew to his out-stretched hand.

The opponents took a short reprieve to examine the damage they had suffered during the brief but brutal close combat. Revan's pinky finger on his left hand was twisted in an unnatural angle and he could feel the break in a couple of bones in that palm. The woman had lost her veil revealing her face. She had short curly hair with the color of oak bark. Her oval face was marred by bruises and the blood leaking from her broken nose and lips. Her green, oval eyes were hard with determination. She waved her hands and two rows of blades formed in front of her. She made a throwing gesture and the blades of metal were hurled at Revan. He dodged using Shunpo and left the projectiles to savage the forest floor. However that was just a taste of what followed – a real steel rain which he was hard pressed to evade.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh..." Revan spoke calmly as if discussing something of no importance that had occurred on a backwater world in the outer rim, despite the entire ordinance coming his way.

"... all creation, flutter of wings..." He ducked behind the bulk of an ancient tree.

"...ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium..." His respite was short lived. Ichigo's cover lasted two seconds before a four meter tall segment of the tree was reduced to splinters. The rest of the giant plant toppled with a groan of splintering bark.

"...the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" He finished the incantation and flash stepped above the woman.

"Shakkahō! (Red Fire Cannon)" He shouted, channeling enough Reiatsu into the Kido spell to strain the limit of how much energy it could contain. A ball of red fire shot from his open palm and screamed at the woman who tried to evade with Shunpo. Instead she stumbled as a Bakudo #1 Sai (Restrain), cast without incantation bound her hands behind her back. The binding spell shattered almost as soon as it was activated, but that was more than enough of a delay.

The explosion that followed would have evaporated most living beings which were familiar to Revan. The detonation rivaled that of multiple plasma grenades. Yet the woman was made of tougher stuff. She was burned and bleeding. Myriad of internal injuries were ravaging her body with even, causing her even more pain, but despite all that she was standing in the center of the deep crater made by the Kido. Her beaten form was half hidden by smoke, giving her a ghostly appearance.

Ichigo locked eyes with the woman, admiring her resilience for a brief moment. An unspoken understanding passed between them, from one warrior to another. Then Revan pointed his index and middle fingers of his left hand at her.

"Byakurai. (Pale Lightning)" The energy bolt Ichigo fired at the woman never reached its target. It was shattered by a powerful lighting bolt a hundreds time stronger than his Byakurai. It struck from the vortex in the sky. It was meters across and hit the ground with the power of orbital strike. Revan and the woman were thrown in different directions by the blast wave created by the hit. Kurosaki tumbled through the air like a leaf picked up by a hurricane. He was half-stunned and disoriented so it is no surprise that he was unable to halt his flight before crashing in the corona of an old tree. His momentum was slowed down by impacts in many branches which broke like twigs when struck by his body. He was finally stopped after a hard landing when he hit the vast roots of an elder tree.

What followed was a strange experience. Revan was encased in a pillar of crimson light. He felt the same happening to the woman kilometers away. Around him, monstrous bolts of lightning were shattering trees into burning cinders and rending the ground asunder. Far above the trio of beings encased by the pillars, the vortex in the sky had doubled in size and range. From the hungry maw that was the center of the rift a sparkling beam of purple light struck each pillar. Revan's perspective suddenly changed. He was looking at the burning forest from farther and farther away. The sight of the devastated landscape was vanishing fast. Seconds later he was enveloped by red haze and Tosen's mind-scape disappeared from sight. Ichigo was soon dropped in a black abyss where he floated for moments, minutes or was it hours? It was similar to the embrace of the Dark side yet he was at peace.

 **=KoSS=**

His unexpected rest was ended by a bombardment of distorted images and feelings without context. Frozen pictures of a much younger Tosen practicing with a wooden katana. The form of a girl laid to rest into a coffin filled with flowers. Sadness. Despair. Determination. A strong desire for justice. A twisted, almost impossible to understand image of a forest clearing on which many Shinigami were laying. A blond haired man wearing captain's haori screaming as a white, bone-like substance spreads over his face. Unwavering loyalty towards...

Aizen.

Without a warning Ichigo could feel how the source of the visions and feelings shifted. A pleased, merry laughter of a happy woman. Sense of profound pride when Tosen was able to achieve Bankai. The joy when Kaname pronounced the release phrase for the first time. That was when Revan understood the basis of the connection between Shinigami and their Zanpakuto. He could feel now what how the woman felt towards her wielder. It was love. Vast and unconditional. Then it happened. A command Ichigo could not hear, which was reluctantly obeyed. Disregard, abandonment. To be ignored by your wielder no matter how much you scream. And when you are an essential part of his very soul... Then there was a sense of a Betrayal without equal. Yet he was unable to see what it was.

Ichigo stretched through the Force, searching for answers. The darkness receded and he was face to face with the battered form of the woman.

"Please tell me." Revan asked her with a soft voice.

They locked eyes for a long moment. She nodded and started talking.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Site of the battle between Revan and Tosen Kaname****

 ** **Seireitei****

The area claimed by Tosen's Bankai exploded outward in a rain of black Reishi. In the center of the waterfall of disturbed spiritual particles two figures could be seen. The one clad in black robes was holding with its left hand the head of a singed and smoking man clad in burned Captain's uniform, who was seemingly unconscious. That was the sight which greeted the various Shinigami who arrived after the Bankai was released. Before any of them could react Revan brought his deactivated lightsaber level with Tosen's chest. Ichigo's thumb pressed a button on his weapon's hilt and a crimson blade extended from the cylinder in his right hand. A pillar of concentrated light burned through flesh and bone and emerged from the captain's back. A small movement of the wrist and Tosen's heart was cleaved in two by the energy blade. Ichigo released the man and Kaname fell to his knees with his mouth opened and releasing fain wisp of smoke. The Captain's face was forever frozen with an expression of shock. Kurosaki made a slash with his weapon and dozens of shocked Shinigami watched with disbelief how Tosen's head rolled behind the captain's decapitated torso and bounced off the ground.

"Thank you." A woman whispered into Revan's ear.

Few of the Soul Reapers who weren't completely stunned by the sight of one of their best being executed, saw how the figure of a woman in green kimono became corporeal behind Ichigo's left shoulder.

This was the shocking sight that greeted Byakuya Kuchiki when he arrived. His eyes tightened when he looked at the corpse of his fellow Captain. The boy who he crushed not so long ago and the ryoka who had murdered a Captain in front of him couldn't be one and the same, right?

"Tsk, tsk, lover. I hope for your sake that you are not straying." A sensual, seductive voice shattered the silence, which had descended upon the battlefield. The air couple of meter to the right of Ichigo blurred in the distinctive distortion of a thermo-optical camouflage shutting down. Rukia gazed at her husband and her face softened. Her yellow Sith eyes bled into deep blue which was becoming purplish depending on how the light fell on her face.

"It's been eons my love. It is good to lay my eyes upon you again." She smiled softly and to Byakuya eternal shock she spoke in a strangely alluring foreign accent.

Revan removed his mask and looked at Rukia. His eyes drunk the ethereal visage of his wife. He could clearly feel her through their bond. It was his wife he was looking at, not simply Rukia Kuchiki... His Sith wife.

A small, wishful smile appeared on his face while happiness and unmitigated dread warred within his heart. He took a step forward, grabbed her waist and pressed Rukia to his chest before slamming his lips into hers. She kissed him back with a hungry abandon.

The Shinigami surrounding them simply watched in shock as the Kuchiki heiress was kissing the man who just murdered one of their Captains.

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Rukia's cell****

 ** **Shishinrō****

 ** **Seireitei****

Captain Ukitake looked at the slaughter wrought by his third seat and winced. Of the six guards only two were still alive, both of whom had multiple broken bones, head trauma and many internal injuries. Members of Fourth squad were finally able to safely remove the pair from the places where they were embedded into the walls. This act of murder made Rukia's and Ichigo's situation almost untenable. No matter what would happen to her previous charges and conviction, to kill members of the Captain Commanders own squad was not something from which most people could walk away without dire consequences. Not without the backing of a major clan and the laws governing their members. When you one took into account Byakuya's actions so far such a thing was out of the question.

However those were not the questions which were really bothering the white haired Captain right now. A simple "Why?" was torturing him. Why did Rukia kill most of her guards? And how would it affect the madness which had gripped Seireitei?

 **=KoSS=**

 ** **Hueko Mundo****

"That was something else..." Grimmjow panted. The Espada had a satisfied smile plastered on his face.

The woman using his bare chest as a pillow gave content "Hmm" and shifted so she would be more comfortable.

"Who are you anyway?"

The female huffed and stretched, her naked body scrapping over the Espada in quite enticing way. "No idea." She muttered and slumped over him.

"Come on, you must have a name. I can't keep calling you Purple girl."

"Dunno. I wanna sleep." She muttered and buried her head in his chest.

"Oi. Answer me."

All he got was her gentle snoring.

"Women." Grimmjow sighed. Then again, he had no problem putting up with her antics. That had been the best sex ever. The woman was almost as wild as him, which was a very pleasant surprise.


	10. Chapter 9

****Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.****

 ** **Chapter 9****

 ** **=KoSS=****

 ** **Site of the battle between Revan and Tosen Kaname****

 ** **Seireitei****

For a moment, the overall situation didn't matter. Revan was simply content to hold his wife and kiss he hell out of her. Briefly, everything seemed to be right in the world... even if the Force was screaming of impending danger.

It took him an immense effort of will to tear his lips off Rukia's and take a stock of the situation. There were dozens of Shinigami around... and at least two of them were Captains. One of them was Byakuya, who was a bad news, though Ichigo had a few ideas on how to handle the man if everything went to hell. The other was Komamura, who had just appeared. Powerful and dangerous as it befitted someone of his station, though he relied on brute strength more than anything in fight.

Everything from his build, fighting style and even Bankai were centered around the concept of overwhelming power. Problematic, but nothing insurmountable if handled just right. Still… a fight here, just after he was reunited with his wife, wasn't in his best interest.

It was too bad that the Shinigami weren't going to just let them go.

" _How well can you handle yourself in a fight right now?"_ Revan used their bond to ask.

" _I've got no Reiatsu to speak off. I don't know how well my Force abilities would fare against a Captain, though I should have no issue with rank and file."_

" _Well have to improvise then."_ He used the bond to show her the location of the hidden training ground where he spent the last day or so.

" _I'm not thrilled about running away, but I'm not particularly suicidal either."_ Rukia said, though he could feel her fumming at the very thought of running.

"I'm glad you decided to let yourself go." Revan spoke aloud, while observing his opponents and seeking some kind of advantage.

"The accommodations let a lot to be desired." Rukia shrugged.

Ukitake chose that moment to Shunpo next to his fellow Captains. The man had a concerned expression on his face. At first Ichigo thought it might be because Jūshirō might have to fight his comrades in order to allow Rukia to get away, but the way he looked at her… There was more than concern in the man's look.

Oh. _"Dear, how exactly did you escape?"_ Revan asked. He should have thought about it, but the fact that his wife was somehow reincarnated, even if she was apparently a Sith now was distracting.

" _How do you think? Shattered the door and killed most of the guards. It was easier than I expected it to be."_

Revan sighed, wondering if he was as bad as a Sith.

" _You were worse, my love… You gave me a lot of headaches while I had to deal with your antics. How does feel when the shoe is on the other foot?"_

"We'll have to do this the hard way." Ichigo muttered. "Do you have some blackmail material that might make this easier or is it plan F?"

"No. I used to be such a nice, quiet girl before I met you." Rukia batted her eyelashes at her husband.

"You sure love taunting your brother." Ichigo nodded at Byakuya who was gripping the hilt of his Zanpakuto and starring at them with a mixture of shock, fury and object horror.

"He brought me in to be sentenced to death and did nothing to help my case. He was going to let me die." Rukia hissed in fury. "I haven't even started with him."

"This is such a nice reunion." Yoruichi added her two cents after Flash stepping behind the couple. "Hi there Jūshirō, you look much better. Byakuya-boy. Komamura." She waved cheerfully at the Captains then she looked at Ichigo. "I hope you haven't been contemplating fighting here."

"Do you have a better idea?" Revan quipped.

"You're a big boy, so run away?"

"Who's she?" Rukia glared at the older woman, making Yoruichi grin at her.

"A recent acquaintance, who might even be on our side. For now." Ichigo gave a pointed nod to Yoruichi.

"Enough of this nonsense! Ryoka, you're under arrest for the murders of Captains Aizen and Tosen!" Komamura roared and drew his sword.

"True enough." Revan spoke as a voice that had no place coming from the mouth of a teenager. His stance shifted as he took a step forward. There was some kind of presence to the man, that captivated everyone's attention. "I killed one of your Captains. Considering that the bastard was a traitor, you owe me one and I'll be collecting. You've been betrayed." Revan turned his head and looked Ukitake in the eyes. "I had a chat with Tosen before I disposed of him. Central 46 have been dead for weeks. Aizen is alive and has been masterminding this whole sordid affair. He's been working with Captains Tosen and Ichimaru and would have revealed himself after Rukia's execution, which was the whole point of this mess. Love, do remind me to murder Urahara when we get back. He's as much at fault in this as the traitors."

"Do you think us fools to believe such a tale?" Byakuya scoffed.

"I do believe him." Jūshirō cut Rukia's brother at the legs with a single sentence, making the Shinigami around us freeze and stare at him. "A few of us had suspected that Aizen has faked his death for some time. We'll have to check on Central 46, but they might very well be dead. As far as I know, no one had met them in person since before Rukia's trial."

"Where is your proof, ryoka? All I see is a murderer telling tall tales." Komamura growled.

Revan tapped the side of his head. "I can give you enough information to confirm what I just told you. If you're wiling to listen. If not…" He shrugged. The part of him that was Ichigo was rather shocked at what he had done, even more so at what he planned if the Captains decided to be difficult. Yet, the teen didn't have a better alternative to present so he sucked it up and steeled his heart.

"There has been enough fighting and death lately. We'll investigate." Ukitake said and gave pointed looks to his fellow Captains. He was the oldest and by far most powerful of them.

"Good. Yoruichi, I'll appreciate it if you get Rukia somewhere safe. Aizen is after her thanks to Urahara." Revan growled.

"What did he do to me?" Rukia hissed in fury.

"Why I'm not surprised?" The shape shifter groaned.

" _Love, I've seen what he's able to do. Right now none of us can face him and expect a victory and if he get you, the bastard might very well be unstoppable. I'll explain later. Please go."_

" _I'll hold you to that."_ Rukia sent back and considering how she was feeling right now, Revan knew that he would be in the dog house for some time.

"Just so you know, I'm calling dibs on killing the idiot. Go."

Byakuya moved to intercept them but he was halted in his track by Ukitake who gripped his shoulder and shook his head. "You know that this isn't the end."

"No matter what Rukia did, I won't let you get her hands on her a second time." I stared at the Shinigami.

"That won't be for me to decide. She'll have to stand a trial." Jūshirō stated. "At any rate I want to know what happened to her to make her like that.

"We'll see about that. As for the latter, its a very long story."

"I've entertained this long enough. Show us your proof, ryoka!" Byakuya glared at Revan who smirked at the man.

"Let's go visit Central 46 first. Unless you try pinning their murders on Rukia or myself, that should be a decent start." Revan Flash Stepped away.

 **=KoSS=**

"Ichigo Kurosaki. I didn't see that coming." Aizen smirked after the teen and the Captains left. To think that the young Shinigami could have taken out Kaname… Needless to say, the boy had his undivided attention.

To think that a new player would appear at this stage and make life interesting again. Aizen smiled. He was going to test the kid further, but first he was going to get his prize. With one of his more important chess pieces gone and Kurosaki aware of his Zanpakuto's abilities, it was time to implement one of the contingency plans. While it would have been much simple to just track the young Kuchiki down and extract the Hogyoku, doing just that… it would be like running from Seireitei like a thief in the night.

His pride refused to accept it. Further, doing so wasn't going to prove his superiority over the rest of the Shinigami as his original plan would have done.

For a few moments, Aizen contemplated trying to salvage the primary plan, but soon disregarded that idea. While not impossible, there were too many new variables. Further, it would make him react to the actions of other people, losing him the initiative, something he didn't plan to relinquish until he had won.

It was time to start one of the contingency plans. The question was which one, given the fact that Kurosaki had gotten some information from Tosen…

"Let's keep it simple and effective..." Aizen muttered. It would be a good opportunity to test Ichigo while ensuring his future victory.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Central 46 Compound**

 **Seireitei**

"This isn't what it looks like." Gin grinned at the Captains and ryoka who had just arrived to find him ready to gut Toshiro.

The young Shinigami was bleeding on the ground, staying on one knee by using his broken Zanpakuto as a crutch. Pieces of his shattered ice wings were littering the ground and quickly melting.

"The ryoka was apparently telling the truth..." Komamura whispered after taking in the sight.

"Gin! Nice meeting you again. Please tell me that you won't come quietly. You're one of the fools who planned to murder my life so I would love to cut you to pieces." Revan waved cheerfully to the Captain. While he wanted the bastard dead, he would have much preferred to get him alive. That would buy him some goodwill that might be useful in getting Rukia off the hook.

"So when we go in, we won't find Central 46 dead?" Revan asked brightly.

"You haven't been conspiring with Aizen and Tosen, have you Gin?" Ukitake asked lightly, though the glare he was aiming at Ichimaru was sending quite different message.

"Good for ya. You caught me. It won't help ya, but you've got points for effort." Gin gave them one of his creepy smiles.

"Tosen's dead." Komamura rumbled and unsheathed his sword.

"Pity. He was useful."

"With you in custody only Aizen remains."

Before anyone could react, a massive explosion shook Seireitei. The shield protecting Soul Society flashed once and vanished after the destruction of the device powering it. A moaning sound echoed over Seireitei as the sky was torn asunder at four places and Garganta's formed.

"Nah. I'll pass. You all are going to be busy."

A buzzing sound was heard and two figures appeared flanking the traitor. One was a blond woman with shoulder length blond hair and a few thin braids almost reaching her elbows. She wore a white top, that left her midriff bare and an ankle long skirt in the same color.

The other newcomer was a dour looking male, who who had the left side of his head covered by a helmet like mask. He was clad in a white uniform with a burgundy sash tied around his waist.

"Cifer. Did Aizen had to sent ya of all people?"

"I have a message." Ulquiorra spoke in a dull tone. "Aizen-sama is waiting at your hiding place with Rukia Kuchiki. He wants to meet you.

Above them, hundreds of Hollows poured through, led by two dozen Arrancar.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Hidden training ground**

 **Seireitei**

"It's been a long time since you ran away Yoruichi-san." Aizen smiled and with a wet, sucking sound pulled his blade from the chest of the surprised Shinigami.

The purple haired woman gasped and despite her grave wound, tried to strike the traitor. Aizen gave her a disappointed look and slammed a fist in her belly, making her double over in pain. A lazy slash later and Yoruichi fell on the ground, paralyzed from the waist down.

"Captain Aizen." Rukia glared at the intruder. She knew that running away was pointless.

It infuriated her. She had just gained her freedom. She refused to let it end like this!

"Kuchiki-san. You have something that I need."

It was his infuriating smile that almost made her lose it. He was looking down on her as if she was a curious insect, one that might be briefly useful for some reason.

The former Jedi Master opened herself to the Dark Side and drank deeply from its tainted well. She was surrounded by a cloak of shadows, making Aizen raise a curious eyebrow at her. All doubts vanished. Her fury and fear combined, giving her even more power over the Dark Side.

"You want me?" Rukia hissed. Her eyes glowed in the twilight surrounding her figure like two yellow embers. "Come and get me!" A lance of liquid darkness formed in her right hand and she threw it at the traitorous Captain.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Chapter 10**

 **=KoSS=**

 **Hidden training ground**

 **Seireitei**

Rukia hissed in fury, when her lance was slapped aside by Aizen. The attack tumbled through the air before slamming in the ground and exploding in a whirlwind of darkness that dissolved everything around it.

The Captain frowned and looked at the back of his left hand, which had a shallow rend covered by dark, smoke like substance. He flexed his fingers and had to suppress a wince as the unknown energy clinging to his flesh burned his nerve endings.

That was certainly unexpected for Aizen, a man who had been seldom surprised in his life.

"Shakkahō." The traitor whispered, while pointing his left hand at the Kuchiki heiress.

Rukia dived away from a basketball sized fireball. While she avoided the brunt of the Kido, the blast wave of the following explosion threw her off her feet. She sensed another attack coming her way, but before she could react a lance of pale lighting slashed through her left shoulder, making her cry in surprise. She growled and made a slashing motion with her right hand. The stones strewn through the training ground between her and Aizen suddenly jumped in the air and flew at the Captain at almost supersonic supersonic speeds.

Instead of meeting the attack head on or using a Bakudo to deflect it, the man simply Shunpoed out of the way. The moment he appeared behind Rukia, Aizen sent another Byakurai at her, this time aimed at the woman's right shoulder.

A patch of the rocky ground was torn out and raced to meet the attack. The improvised defense blew up in a rain of dirt when the thin line of lighting slammed into it. Aizen stumbled back when a wave of invisible force slammed into him.

"I think I'll keep you, girl." The Captain smiled. Whatever Rukia was doing, she was achieving it without using any Reiatsu he could sense. This new power she and Ichigo were using, piqued his interest.

The woman glared at him. Her eyes were glowing yellow orbs, similar to Hollow's. That only made her even more enticing research material.

"DIE!" Rukia shouted and leveled both her arms in his direction.

Aizen smirked, curious to see what she would do next. He was not disappointed when a moment later she sent a broad wave of purple lighting at him.

"Ōkasen." The name of the Captain's counter-attack had barely left his lips when a flash of yellow light erupted from his right hand and slammed head on into Rukia's technique.

The effect wasn't what either of them expected. The Yellow Fire Flash's energy simply cut through the incoming lighting, which curved around the wave of Aizen's attack and continued to race his way. Rukia had to dive under the Ōkasen, while the Captain Flash Stepped away just as tendrils of what turned out not to be electricity touched his skin.

Aizen hissed in pain when he appeared on Rukia's flank. Whatever she almost hit him with was rather nasty if even a superficial brush with it could make him feel such pain.

"We'll continue this little game later." Aizen put on his trademark smile and Shunpoed next to Rukia. His Zanpakuto was already moving, ready to stab her when he was picked up by another invisible wall of energy and thrown away before he could stab the woman.

A moment later the Captain was back on his feet, just in time to intercept a lance of living darkness heading his way. He slashed down with his Zanpakuto and cut the attack in half. The two pieces tumbled in the air passing harmlessly by him only to rend long gashes in the ground behind him.

"Byakurai." He muttered, sending three thin lighting spears at Rukia.

She dodged one, levitated a nearby rock to intercept the second and barely ducked under the third, when Aizen was upon her again. Once again he found himself assaulted by an invisible wall of energy, though this time it slammed into a Danku cast without incantation and harmlessly splashed over a rectangular wall of Kido. Rukia tried to twist away from his follow up attack, but she was simply not fast enough to escape the bite of his Zanpakuto, which slammed into her gut.

Aizen smirked and twisted the blade before immobilizing the Kuchiki Heiress with Gochūtekkan. Rukia gasped in pain as she was immobilized by five solid pillars and the chains connecting them.

"I hope you'll survive this." Aizen smiled at his victim. He sheathed his Zanpakuto, after tearing it from Rukia's body with a nasty twist making her groan in pain. The Captain's right hand disappeared into his uniform only to be back a moment later encased by something resembling a wicked looking steel gauntlet. "Do you even know what's contained within your soul?" He asked, while wondering if his prize was to blame for the woman's interesting abilities. However if that was the case how the hell did Ichigo possess similar skills?

"Urahara kriffed me over." Rukia hissed.

While he was unfamiliar with the term, Aizen had no trouble getting the sentiment. He smirked. "That he did."

The gauntlet over his right hand hummed with power and started glowing softly as he leveled it against Rukia's chest.

 **=KoSS=**

Ichigo was halfway to his destination, with Byakuya hot on his heels when he was forced to jump back. Only his training in Flash Step with Yoruichi allowed him to react in time and avoid slamming himself in the Zanpakuto that suddenly appeared on his way.

A warning coming from the Force made him roll forward under a slash that would have severed his spine if it connected.

"Shinigami." A level voice stated.

Suddenly Byakuya was there, his Zanpakuto held in a relaxed grip. Next to the Captain, two figures fell apart from his lighting fast attacks.

"Not good enough." The same voice stated.

A tall black man appeared before the Shinigami. He wore a long mandarin jacket, which had a small opening revealing a part of his chest. Beyond that, he had a Hakama similar in form to what Ulquiorra wore. He was bald with the exception of a very thin stripe of white hair bisecting the top of his scull.

There were three sets of tattoos visible on the man's face – a trio of black triangles on his chin and two pairs of four exclamation marks above his eyes.

"Aizen-sama brooks no interference for the moment." The stranger stated.

"Move away." Ichigo glared at the man.

"I can't do that, Shinigami. You're to die here." The man took a step forward.

The Shinigami heard a slight buzzing sound. Ichigo followed the Force's waring and acted with the precision Revan was known for. His lightsaber ignited and intercepted a blade that was aimed at his heart. The weapon that attacked him was held by an exact copy of the bald man. At the same time Revan raised his free hand and clenched his fingers in a fist. Another copy appeared, suspended in mid air. It was clawing at its throat before dissolving.

Meanwhile, Byakuya had no issue with slaughtering the pair of clones that tried to skewer him.

"So you have some skill, just as Aizen-sama warned. No matter, you have no chance anyway. Suppress, Brujeria!" The man shouted. His sword twisted until it was in the form of a spiral. Then it emitted a slick black smoke that engulfed its wielder. It was potent enough to harmlessly disperse the lighting bold Kurosaki sent his way.

A couple of seconds later, the cloud dissipated, revealing one of the strangest things that either Ichigo or Revan had ever seen. The lower half of the black man was transformed into a pink, pumpkin like structure. He was covered with all too many eyes for comfort.

"I leave this thing to you." Revan shook his head at the strange transformation and vanished from sight by cloaking himself in the Force and suppressing his Reiatsu. A moment later a strange rune appeared on the building that was behind Ichigo's former position.

Byakuya tried to avoid the confrontation too, keen on tracking down the ryoka and finding Rukia. He started to Flash Step away and stumbled when his right left refused to follow his commands.

"It's a pity that the boy got away. You won't be that fortunate, Shinigami."

 **=KoSS=**

 **Hidden training ground**

 **Seireitei**

The figure that suddenly Shunpoed in the supposed safe haven, bore a little resemblance to the Ichigo Kurosaki who his friends knew.

Even someone blind to the Force could actually feel the waves of fury emanating from the dark figure. There were tendrils of living shadow lashing wildly around him as he flash stepped near the bleeding out form of Yoruichi. During his headlong rush to the training ground, Revan had felt Rukia's emotions. Her fury, her fear.

Her despair when everything she threw at Aizen barely scratched him.

Her pain when he stabbed her.

Her agony as he violated her very soul, while searching for his prize.

Aizen grabbed the Hogyoku a moment before he was struck by purple lighting that lit up his nerves on fire. The traitor was picked up and thrown away by the attack, which didn't relent when he struck the ground hard. The Captain screamed in pain and fury as he lost hold of his objective, letting the Hogyoku fall to the ground.

Using his willpower to push away the pain, Aizen stood up and drew his Zanpakuto.

That should have been it, capturing Ichigo under the hypnotic influence of Kyoka Suigetsu. Instead, the Captain was rudely surprised to find out that the boy had closed his eyes before he could be caught. The lighting attack abated too.

"That won't work on me, Aizen." Revan's voice was full with so much loathing that the emotion was almost tangible. "You dared harm my wife!" He hissed and opened his eyes.

They were the same shade of sickly yellow as Rukia's.

Aizen smirked and waved a hand at Ichigo. In the next moment, the Substitute Shinigami was enveloped by a Kurohitsugi. While the Captain hoped that his pet project would survive, he was done with playing games for the time being. Those two had surprised him one too many times for comfort. Aizen was content to get the Hogyoku and Rukia, before going back to his base in Hueko Mundo where he could calmly study the anomaly that the woman represented. As for Ichigo… He smirked. With Rukia in his hands he would have strong leverage over the boy, while he would still have his family to use in the future if it proved to be necessary. Not to mention Ichigo's friends. Th Quincy and the brute weren't anything special, but that auburn haired girl… She too possessed an interesting power.

"Try not to die." Aizen muttered. He went to the Hogyoku and picked it up just as the spear like protrusions all over the black coffin moved and pierced the interior. He wasn't really concerned. Kurosaki had proved rather resilient and casting the high level Hado without incantation let it strike with only a third of its usual destructive power.

That's why, the Captain wasn't particularly surprised when the coffin dissipated to reveal a wounded, but alive Ichigo.

Then the boy threw him another curve ball. Ichigo was enveloped by pale glow and his wounds started smoking and knitting before Aizen eyes.

"High speed regeneration? My, my… Kurosaki. You're full of surprises." This time Aizen's smile was actually genuine.

Revan snarled and pointed clawed fingers at the small device in Aizen's hand. To the Shinigami's surprise, the Hogyoku flew away, heading towards Ichigo's outstretched palm.

The Captain scowled and Flash Stepped forward, snatching his prize from mid-air. He didn't slow down and fired another high level Hado without bothering to use incantation.

"Senjū Kōten Taihō!" Aizen snapped at his bothersome opponent. Eight spears made by blinding light materialized around the Captain and flew at Ichigo.

Kurosaki tried to Shunpo away only to find himself bind in place by six thin, yet wide beams of golden Reiatsu.

"Enkosen!" He snarled in fury and grabbed as much of the Force as he could. Just before the spears slammed into him, Revan formed a barrier around himself and threw his lightsaber at one of the incoming projectiles.

The first light lance slammed into the Ark Shield, obliterating it. Another detonated when the lightsaber struck it, leaving six more to slam into the Force based barrier around Ichigo. The spears struck with the fury of laser cannon blasts, shacking the whole training ground.

When the dust settled, Aizen smirked. The boy had somehow survived, even if he was a mess. Kurosaki's black robes were mostly gone, with what little of them remained being cared and fused to his cooked flesh. The boy was covered by second and third degree burns and the Captain would be surprises if most of his bones weren't shattered.

Yet, Kurosaki still lived. It was too bad that he wasn't going to last long with those injuries. A pity. The boy shouldn't have tried to get his hands on the Hogyoku.

Aizen pocketed his prize and walked towards Rukia, who was bleeding out nearby. When he was above her and ready to grab the girl, the Kuchiki Heiress turned locked her yellow eyes to his, making him pause for a moment. He had never seen such a look of fury and loathing in anyone before. It was amusi…

Rukia screamed, putting everything she felt in that single act. The Force responded to the flow of her emotions, enhancing her shout.

Aizen was bodily picked up and thrown away by the sheer raw power behind the scream. He could feel things inside vibrating, almost rupturing, making him feel acutely sick. The Captain snarled as he stood up. That woman wasn't going to enjoy his hospitality while being held in Hueko Mundo.

"Enough." A serene voice echoed around the training ground.

It gave even him a pause. Aizen's eyes narrowed at the woman calmly standing behind him and the three Shinigami he had cut down.

Retsu Unohana. Of course it had to be her, one of the three oldest Shinigami in Seireitei besides the Captain-Commander. Yamamoto aside, she was probably the single person Aizen doubted that he might be able to take out single-handedly as he was right now.

Already the Kurosaki boy was being engulfed by her giant-manta like Shikai. Aizen contemplated making another run for Rukia before leaving, but he was concerned that if the girl pulled out another trick it might leave him open for an attack by the older Captain.

No matter. He'd get the girl another day. At least that way Kurosaki was likely to survive.

"Haien." Aizen whispered and Shunpoed away, while Unohana moved to intercept the blast of purple spiritual energy that would have incinerated Rukia if it hit her.


	12. Epilogue

**AN: This story is now complete. I eventually plan to write a sequel covering the war with Aizen, but it won't happen for some time. Lately I've been concentrating on my sci-fi stories, primary Rogue Knight and its unlikely I'll begin writing the sequel of KoSS before I've completed RK.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.**

 **Epilogue**

 **=KoSS=**

 **Captain Commander's office**

 **Division One Barracks**

 **Seireitei**

Yamamoto leaned on his wood encased Zanpakuto near the windows overlooking Seireitei. His face was a stone mask as he starred through narrowed eyes at the devastation. There were still the odd fires to put down, whole districts that were little more than rubble.

Hundreds of casualties with at least half of them dead or expected to succumb to their wounds no matter what the overwhelmed Fourth Division could do.

It all happened because Yamamoto had been blind. Complacent.

Duped.

He respected Aizen. Trusted him to remain level headed when most other Captains were ruled by their emotions or vices. Now, the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions, the whole Soul Society were paying the price. The one thing Yamamoto knew for sure that he still didn't know everything. Didn't see the full extent of Aizen's corruption and was sure that the traitor had left agents behind to inform him of how the loyal Shinigami would go after him.

Then there were the Ryoka. A handful of mortal children infiltrated and proceeded to turn Seireitei into a mad house for days. While Yamamoto saw Aizen's fingerprints all over that debacle, he had to admit to himself that there were failures on all levels. Incompetence. Arrogance. Sheer bloody minded stupidity even from Captains.

Yamamoto's gaze drifted to the half-demolished barracks of the Fourth and two of the people being healed in there. One used to be a young promising Shinigami. The heiress of a noble clan at that. The other… A human granted Shinigami powers who was growing at a frightening speed, before things got weird even my the Captain-Commander's standards and he had seen a lot of strange things in his youth.

The old man was conflicted. His course of action as far as the Ryoka were concerned should be obvious, yet it was anything but. What to do with some of them was simple – heal, modify memories and dump them back home and hopefully they wouldn't be a problem until it was their time to join the afterlife.

Rukia Kuchiki was a thornier problem. Her brother, had a complete change of heart yesterday and in fact had been using all his power as both a Clan Leader and a Captain challenge any accusations and possible judgment that could be laid at his sister's feet after it become painfully clear that the orders for her execution were fake.

For the time being, Yamamoto was content to let that issue rest – at least until new government could be set up in place. It would have been simple if Rukia hadn't snapped and murdered multiple Shinigami using powers not based on spiritual power. As a consequence, the woman faced not only another trial but the unhealthy attention of the Science Division and its deranged Captain – something that had the potential to get ugly fast if the resident mad scientist went anywhere near the younger Kuchiki.

The last thing Yamamoto wanted to deal with was another clash between Captains.

Then there was the last Ryoka – the Kurosaki boy. He had displayed the same strange powers, defeated multiple Captains and had been a general nuisance before he ran afoul of Aizen. The accounts were conflicting, but it appeared that Ichigo hadn't actually killed a single Shinigami. Yet, the apparent affection between him and the Kuchiki heiress meant that the boy could turn into an enemy again if she was sentenced for what were undeniably her actions this time.

That could be a moot point – until Kurosaki awoke and could be interrogated it wouldn't be clear if the boy could prove at least neutralor a threat that had to be put down. A part of Yamamoto admired the determination needed for a youngster such as Ichigo to defy the Heavens themselves so he could save a friend. Yet, that fragile emotion clashed with the Captain Commander's duty and firm belief that the laws of Soul Society were absolute – no matter if some mitigating circumstances seldom existedwhen someone broke them.

A quiet knock sounded from the door. Yamamoto sighed.

"Enter." His voice rang out, betraying nothing of his feelings.

The door opened with barely a sound and two familiar sets of footsteps sounded from behind the Captain-Commander.

"Kyoraku, Ukitake." The old man greeted. He had mixed feelings as far as his students were concerned. While they did follow their convictions even if it meant to stand up against him, which made him proud, at the same time Yamamoto resented the fact that the two of them had no trouble standing against Seireitei's law.

"Old man." Kyoraku offered a greeting of his own – one that he knew irritated the Captain-Commander even if it wasn't anything but the truth.

Perhaps that's why it bothered Yamamoto so – it was a reminderthat despite all his power and experience, he was well past his prime, even if the younger Captain didn't meant it that way. The Captain-Commander turned around and examined his students.

Kyoraku wore one of his favorite pink kimonos and the only sign that he had fought a battle yesterday was a thin line on his left cheek – all that remained from an ugly scar that he got when the Arrancar he fought came close to shooting his head off before the Captain finally took things in a properly serious manner. Ukitake on the other hand stood tall and radiated energy – Yamamoto didn't remember seeing his pupil look this well in more than a thousand years.

"Is it true, Ukitake? Did the Ryoka heal you?" The Captain-Commander asked.

"Kurosaki did." A small smile appeared on the white haired Captain's face. "I have forgotten how it felt to be hale."

"This complicates things a bit." Yamamoto grated. He owed the Ryoka one for that service if nothing else. Soul Society was stronger with Ukitake no longer crippled by his sickness – something that was proven without a shadow of a doubt during the invasion; no it was nothing more than a raid, a distraction to allow Aizen and the other traitor to get away clean and it worked. Now Yamamoto had to pick up the pieces.

"Does it? All Kurosaki did was open our eyes. Even if he did know about Aizen's treachery and with Yoruichi hanging around the kid I won't rule it out, we wouldn't have believed it if he came to us and told us everything." Kyoraku looked Yamamoto in the eyes and there was no sight of the easy going and sometimes lazy Captain that most of Soul Society thought they knew. "After what he did, we might as well offer him a place in Gotei 13. We do have vacancies and the kid kill a Captain turned that betrayed us, not a loyal one like Kenpachi did."

"I considered it." Yamamoto looked at Ukitake. "You've met this Kurosaki boy. What will he do if the government decides to prosecute Rukia for the deaths of the Shinigami we know she murdered during her escape?"

"I would like to say that he would let proper justice be served – no sham trials this time. However…" Ukitake trailed off and looked thoughtful. "I've spoken with Byakuya. When Kurosaki met Rukia after she escaped..." The Captain shrugged. "I have theories at best. About both Ichigo's skills and how Rukia suddenly changed. Either Aizen messed with their minds – which isn't out of the question now that we know the abilities of his Zanpakuto, or they're reincarnationswho knew each other in a past life. The way they acted on the scene of Tosen's execution leads me to believe that the second theory has more merit."

"It's almost as concerning as the first." Yamamoto stated.

"It's also true." A new voice announced.

The Captain-Commander didn't show his surprise at someone successfully infiltrating his office. He simply inclined his head towards the far wall, which was covered in shadows.

Kurosaki stepped out of the twilight and his form shimmered before it could be clearly seen. Whatever the boy did to conceal himself was no longer in place, because now Yamamoto had no trouble sensing his Reiatsu and it was average for a Captain – an impressive feat, because the Captain-Commander was sure the Ryoka hadn't yet recovered from his wounds. While Kurosaki appeared fine on a curious inspection, Yamamoto knew better. He had been dealing with wounds and wounded for millennia and it was obvious that the boy was simply ignoring the pain he felt.

"Ichigo, you should be at the Fourth. Retsu won't be pleased when she finds out you're missing." Ukitake scolded.

"I'll live." The Ryoka shrugged and Yamamoto almost missed the momentary stiffening of his shoulders as the gesture caused him pain. "We have thing to discuss before I return to the hospital." The Ryoka had the gall to smile. "We both have some big problems. Problems that can solve each other."

"Do tell." Kyoraku smiled.

"You're unlikely to take out Aizen without suffering unacceptable losses. All of Soul Society's relevant fighters had seen the release of his Shikai. Besides, there's Urahara's little trinket – if your problem child can unlock its potential, things will get even uglier."

"Not the way I would have put it, but essentially correct." Ukitake conceded.

"Me on the other hand? I want Rukia cleared from any responsibility over what she did ever since she came to the living world a few months ago." The Ryoka continued.

"You want us to disregard our own laws?" Yamamoto's eyes widened at the sheer gall, even if such sentiment coming from the boy wasn't unexpected.

"That's the price for my assistance against Aizen and his supporters. The alternative is we continue where we left before he showed his true colors." There was a note of finality in Kurosaki's voice.

"You can't take on us. Not in the state you're. Not even if you were healthy and well rested." Yamamoto stated the obvious.

"Probably not." The Ryoka conceded. "Will all of you fight me right now if I went to retrieve Rukia from the hospital and take us todisappear into the living world?"

Ukitake shook his head and his friend simply shrugged: "Not feeling like it. Perhaps tomorrow."

Yamamoto frowned in disapproval at his students, before narrowing his eyes at the Ryoka. "Even if I accept your terms, once Central 46 is restored, they can overrule me."

"Explain to them how suicidal such an idea would be." Kurosaki stated flatly.

"You expect me to defy our government for one girl's sake? When she murdered her comrades in arms in cold blood?" Yamamoto asked. "Do you have any idea what the consequences would be, even if Central 46 were to be in the wrong?"

"A coup. Been there, done that. Put someone more reasonable and competent in charge then continue running the military and leave the rest to them unless they screw up by the numbers." Kurosaki stated calmly.

Yamamoto frowned. So it was truly a reincarnation, complete with memories from a previous live. That or a madness that the boy believed without reservation. Perhaps there wasn't much of a difference between the two. Besides, it wasn't like there weren't madmen already working as Captains in Gotei 13.

No, it was the ease with which Kurosaki discussed the removal of the government if it proved to be inconvenient that was the issue. It went against everything that Yamamoto believed in. The Captain-Commander felt torn. Simply exiling Rukia and sending her with Kurosaki in the living world would be a solution, even it would cause trouble with the Kuchiki's. Yet, keeping a close eye on Kurosaki might be for the best and there would be no better way to do it if he offered the boy one of the vacant positions in Gotei 13. Giving Kurosaki such power and responsibility, then observing him was going to reveal the Ryoka's true nature. It would be the most dangerous course of action too – a potential another betrayal. Yet, that plan would offer the greatest long term benefit for Seireitei I the boy rose up to the task and didn't turn against them. On the other hand, pardoning Rukia and making sure everyone knew on whose insistence that happened and whose responsibility she was from now on… That had possibilities, yet it could very well backfire spectacularly.

"What is Kuchiki Rukia to you?" Yamamoto asked.

"Kuchiki? A Shinigami I met not long ago when she saved my family from a Hollow attack. She was wounded by it and had to give me her powers if we were to avoid becoming that things dinner. She is also the reincarnation of my dead wife and remember her previous life just as I do." Kurosaki answered.

"There's something you never told me, Ichigo. "Ukitake stated. "Who you were?"

"It's complicated. General Revan, formerly of the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire at your service."

Yamamoto didn't know what he expected as an answer, but this certainly wasn't it. Further, he could plainly see that the Ryoka was telling the truth as he knew it. The Captain-Commander wondered the same thing once again – was the boy mad, another of Aizen's victims or was the truth this strange?

One thing was for certain – if Kurosaki was telling the truth, there was no way in hell Yamamoto was going to leave him without supervision.

"Perhaps compromise is in order? Kyoraku suggested.

"My life's fate is not negotiable." Kurosaki stated.

"The fact that she murdered multiple guards doesn't bother you, does it?" Yamamoto asked.

"I've fought in multiple wars that set the galaxy on fire. Trillions died either by my hand or as consequences of orders I gave. While regrettable for multiple reasons, the fact that my wife killed her jailors while she escaped unlawful imprisonment is nothing more than tragedy that should be laid at Aizen's feet." Kurosaki stated grimly.

The utter conviction that rang in the Ryoka's voice took Yamamoto aback. The cold truth was that Gotei 13 might need Kurosaki against Aizen. While the Captain-Commander wasn't going to count on Kurosaki to take down the traitor and would be doing his best to ensure Sosuke was dealt with, having the Ryoka as a back-up plan would be prudent and might yet prove decisive.

"We may reach an accord we all can live with." Yamamoto spoke careful. "But first, tell me about General Revan and his wife." The Captain-Commander nodded at Kurosaki.

 **=KoSS=**

 **Las Noches**

 **Hueko Mundo**

Aizen sat upon his throne and watched over the Espada who made it back from Soul Society. Most were back alive, if not intact. While a setback, it was nothing he couldn't solve now that he had Urahara's own device to combine with his own imperfect creation. A smile tugged his lips as the former Captain stare at the purple haired woman that Grimmjow brought in front of him.

A short explanation and a demonstration of her abilities proved that the feral Espada had stumbled over something precious. The Kuchiki girl and Kurosaki could wait. Aizen already had a research object to study. The thought that he could be uncovering the secrets of a new power made him almost giddy. He had already achieved the pinnacle of what someone could become as a Shinigami. Once combined and mastered the devices in his possessions would achieve the same as far as Hollow powers were concerned and allow him to transcendent.

Aizen could only imagine what he could achieve, what he could become if he added this strange new power to the mix. It could very well raise him up to real godhood.

"You did well. All of you." Aizen congratulated his minions. "Rest and recover, we'll reconvene tomorrow evening. "You my dear," The former Captain looked at the purple haired girl, "please follow me. I have some questions for you."

 **=KoSS=**

 **Rukia's room**

 **Fourth Division's Barracks**

 **Seireitei**

The first thing she noticed after finally emerging from her long slumber, was the soothing presence of her husband. A fond smile tugged Rukia's lips as she examined him through the Force.

"Awake at last. And to think you used to be on my case for sleeping in. Tsk, tsk. You'll sleep through your youth, dear." Revan mick-chided, making Bastia chuckle

"You're in awfully chipper mood today. Good news?" Rukia opened her eyes and glanced around. She was in one of the familiar rooms of the Fourth. The Jedi turned Shinigami winced, when the memories of what happened to put her in the hospital rushed back to the forefront of her mind. "Kriff. That bantha poodo reject did a number on me."

"On me too. In hindsight, things could have gone better." Ichigo sighed. "Though we scrapped by like usual."

"How much trouble am I in?" Rukia asked. After being knocked out, the Dark Side influenced side of her personality wasn't to the forefront and she could think much more clearly. "Perhaps I shouldn't have killed the guards." Bastia groaned. "Even if the idea appealed at the time."

"That certainly made our situation more complicated." Revan nodded.

"Who are you anyway? One moment I'm sure Revan's talking, then you sound almost like Ichigo." Rukia asked.

"The same back to you. You're switching between sounding just like Bastia in one moment, then like a more mature and world worthy Rukia." Kurosaki shot back. "As far as I can figure it out, our memories are merging as well as our personalities. I'll probably be much less Ichigo when its all done – he was just a teenager, and I wasn't exactly young when our luck finally ran out."

"I'm actually older as Rukia, yet after everything I went through as Bastia..." The Kuchiki heiress shrugged. "Time will tell, I guess. Being awake already I guess you've been up to no good?" Bastia asked.

"You know me so well. Let me re-introduce myself: Captain Ichigo Kurosaki, in charge of Division Five." An infuriating smirk appeared on Revan's face.

"How did you talk the Captain-Commander into this?!" Bastia stood up and waved at her husband.

"It was a part of the bantha trade to keep you out of prison and us not on the run. You're getting to be my third seat too and now I'm responsible for your action for the next hundred year, so try not to kill any more Shinigami if you can, please?" Revan pleaded.

Rukia chuckled.

"Only you. What do we do now?" She asked and fell back in the bed with a groan. Her abrupt movement had sent pain lancing through her still healing wound.

"Now you get better, then we'll have our hands full with cleaning up house in the Fifth and a lot of training. The troubles with Aizen are far from over and I have the nagging feeling that he'll be after us because we can use the Force." Ichigo announced.

"Sounds like plan." Rukia thought about it and winced. "What bout my brother? I don't believe he'll approve of us."

"So far, I've been considerate and avoided skewering him no matter how tempting it is. You should talk with the man. He had a bigger stick stuck up his ass than master Vrook and the rest of the old Jedi Council combined."

"Hey! That's..." Rukia trailed off and thought about Byakuya. "Not really a wrong description." She deflated.

"Once you're up and running, I'll leave the Fifth temporarily to you and go back to the world of the living with the others so I can visit my family, explain things and have a little chat with Urahara." Revan stated.

"I'll have some things to say to that man!" Rukia growled.

"Uh… You're stuck in Soul Society for the foreseeable future. Yamamoto doesn't want you going Dark Lady of the Sith on the mortals if they irritate you." Revan explained and thus earned himself a glare.


End file.
